University consortium to tackle UK nuclear waste treatment

The £8m project, funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and scheduled to start in February, brings together the nuclear industry, the government’s nuclear advisors and academic researchers.

More than 40 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers will work over the next four years on issues including how best to handle different types of spent fuels, packaging and storing waste, and dealing with nuclear sludges in ponds and silos at nuclear power stations.

In a statement, consortium leader Prof Simon Biggs, director of Leeds University’s Institute of Particle Science and Engineering said: ‘The project is primarily focused on developing new technologies and providing confidence in the safe storage and disposal of legacy waste. The UK is a technology leader in this field and the core aim of this project is to maintain and further develop that skill base.

‘This will be a truly interdisciplinary effort. We have civil engineers, chemists, chemical engineers, robotics experts, radiochemists, mechanical engineers and material engineers all working together on thirty different projects.’