An overview is given on research activities on cementitious materials for radioactive waste management systems based on the IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) held in 2007-2010. It has been joined by 26 research organizations from 22 countries which shared their research and practical activities on use of cementitious materials for various barrier purposes. The CRP has initially formulated the research topics considered within four specific streams: A) Conventional cementitious systems; B) Novel cementitious materials and technologies; C) Testing and waste acceptance criteria; and D) Modelling long term behaviour.The CRP has analysed both barrier functions and interactions envisaged between various components with focus on predisposal stage of waste management. Cementation processes have achieved a high degree of acceptance and many processes are now regarded as technically mature. A large body of information is currently available on proven waste conditioning technologies although novel approaches are continuing to be devised.Most of the existing technologies have been developed for conditioning of large amounts of operational radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and other nuclear fuel cycle facilities. However new waste streams including those resulting from legacy and decommissioning activities required improved material performance and technologies.The most important outcome of CRP was the exchange of information and research co-operation between different institutions and has contributed towards general enhancement of safety by improving waste management practices and their efficiency. The paper presents the most important results and trends revealed by CRP participants. The research contributions of participating organizations will be published as country contributions in a forthcoming IAEA technical publication.

Cementitious materials are widely used in waste management systems with different aims and requirements for long term performance. Both conventional and novel cementitious materials are used to create reliable immobilising elements for safe storage and disposal of wastes. The barrier elements as well as interactions envisaged between various components are important to ultimately ensure the overall safety of a storage/disposal system. The behaviour and performance of cementitious materials including waste package components, wasteform and backfilling were analysed within the IAEA Coordinated Research Project which involved 26 research organizations from 21 Member States MS). The paper presents briefly the main research outcomes for conventional cementitious systems; novel materials and technologies; testing and waste acceptance criteria; and modelling long term behaviour.

Planning for integrated nuclear waste management (INWM) entails consideration of all generated waste from energy generation, nuclear fuel cycle and institutional facilities as well as waste from decommissioning and remediation of nuclear facilities, legacy waste, and eventual accident waste and requires establishment of different planning scenarios as well as control milestones to allow for adequate flexibility to address inevitable changes. An early assessment of waste management needs from development and use of advanced reactors and innovative nuclear fuel cycles is required to aid design and operation of such facilities as well as to understand their impact to overall waste management planning. Major prerequisites for approach to planning and establishment of INWM plans are discussed briefly. It is pointed out that five most important challenges in establishing and implementing the INWM plan needs to be addressed: (i) inventory; (ii) time frame for an integrated plan; (iii) assessment of facility needs; (iv) costs estimation (life-cycle cost analyses) and (v) funding and financing. The INWM has to promote strategic thinking within a broad framework resulting in a sustainable and sensible outcome for nuclear waste management at a strategic and national level.

Judgment on the sustainable development of energy systems, including nuclear, should be based on the results of thorough, comprehensive, and unbiased assessment. To minimize the influence of human factors on assessment results, a systematic methodological approach for the evaluation of the sustainability of nuclear energy systems has been developed in the IAEA INPRO section based on the experience acquired in different countries. The methodology comprises several areas of a nuclear energy system (NES) assessment including the area of waste management. In this area it defines three major issues relevant to sustainability and the nine corresponding criteria to be used as assessment tools. Assessment of sustainability in the area of waste management is a part of the holistic system assessment to be performed to make reasonable judgments on sustainability.

The IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on cementitious materials for radioactive waste management was launched in 2007 [1, 2]. The objective of CRP was to investigate the behaviour and performance of cementitious materials used in radioactive waste management system with various purposes and included waste packages, wasteforms and backfills as well as investigation of interactions and interdependencies of these individual elements during long term storage and disposal. The specific research topics considered were: (i) cementitious materials for radioactive waste packaging: including radioactive waste immobilization into a solid waste form, (ii) waste backfilling and containers; (iii) emerging and alternative cementitious systems; (iv) physical-chemical processes occurring during the hydration and ageing of cement matrices and their influence on the cement matrix quality; (v) methods of production of cementitious materials for: immobilization into wasteform, backfills and containers; (vi) conditions envisaged in the disposal environment for packages (physical and chemical conditions, temperature variations, groundwater, radiation fields); (vii) testing and nondestructive monitoring techniques for quality assurance of cementitious materials; (viii) waste acceptance criteria for waste packages, waste forms and backfills; transport, long term storage and disposal requirements; and finally (ix) modelling or simulation of long term behaviours of cementations materials used for packaging, waste immobilization and backfilling, especially in the post-closure phase. The CRP has gathered overall 26 research organizations from 22 Member States aiming to share their research and practices on the use of cementitious materials [2]. The main research outcomes of the CRP were summarized in a summary report currently under preparation to be published by IAEA. The generic topical sections covered by report are: a) conventional cementitious systems; b) novel cementitious materials and technologies; c) testing and waste acceptance criteria; and d) modelling long term behaviour. These themes as well as all contributions of participating organizations were further developed in the individual reports to be presented in the IAEA publication. The CRP facilitated the exchange of information and research co-operation in resolving similar problems between different institutions and contributed towards improving waste management practices, their efficiency and general enhancement of safety.