Technology Development Roadmap for Volatile Radionuclide Capture and Immobilization

Abstract

An "Off-Gas and Waste Forms Strategy Workshop" was held in Washington, D.C. on January 31, and February 1, 2023, to review the current state of the art (baseline) technologies for capturing and immobilizing these volatile radionuclides in waste forms (WFs). The discussions in that workshop were used to develop a roadmap for future research and development to mature technologies that are presently not ready for use in a commercial reprocessing facility and develop and demonstrate technologies that provide more safety, more simplicity, or lower costs compared to the current baseline. Technology Development Roadmap for Volatile Radionuclide Capture and Immobilization iv October 2023demonstration of viable WFs and advancing the TRL through large-scale demonstrations and testing under high-fidelity conditions.Long term R&D (out to 25-100 years) should continue on less mature or even currently unknown technologies to lower the costs and risks of UNF reprocessing. Some workshop participants suggested multiradionuclide sorbents and WFs. These are currently not technically possible considering the differences in the chemical, physical, and radiological properties of the four volatile radionuclides.