In the topic of Nuclear Waste Management, Jülich researchers conduct application-oriented basic research into the safe disposal of radioactive waste. The focus is on final repository research with an emphasis on long-term safety aspects, waste management concepts for hazardous radioactive waste, and international nuclear safeguards.
Challenges
German nuclear power plants alone have generated approximately 17,200 tons of spent, highly radioactive nuclear fuel over the course of their operation. The decommissioning of these facilities is expected to generate an additional 300,000 cubic meters of low- and medium-level radioactive waste, such as cement-based building components.
But how can radioactive waste be safely stored in interim and final repositories? And for periods ranging from decades to a million years?
Solutions
Experts agree that it would be best to store the radioactive waste several hundred metres below the surface of the Earth in suitable rock formations. Research from Jülich helps to answer the scientific and technical questions that arise in connection with interim and final storage.
The researchers look at radioactive waste, such as irradiated nuclear fuel, as materials and try to understand their properties. To this end, they integrate experiments and simulations on different length and time scales. They aim to understand how radioactive waste behaves over time and which processes occur when it comes into contact with water, for example. Unique infrastructures, including specialized radiochemical laboratories, enable the Jülich teams to conduct groundbreaking research that is not possible outside the Helmholtz Association in Germany.
One aim is to provide the scientific basis and data to prove that radioactive materials can be stored safely in the long term. In addition, Jülich researchers are developing concepts, methods, and techniques for the international monitoring of fissile material. They collaborate closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). At the same time, expertise is passed on from generation to generation through research.
Research on final disposal in Jülich benefits from a strong network of collaboration. The work is supported by electron microscopy experts from the Ernst Ruska Center, engineers from the Institute of Technology and Engineering, and IT specialists from the Jülich Supercomputing Centre.
