FISSCARDEN

The FISSCARDEN proposal is an application-oriented R&D project with the ambition to develop an innovative decontamination process that will offer a realistic and cost-efficient solution for the removal of some radionuclide cations from multi-component effluents related to low- and intermediate level radioactivity, leading to small amounts of ultimate (solid) waste thus generated and simultaneously meeting the requirements for more energy-saving and environmentally friendly waste conditioning. Aqueous effluents of interest to the industrial partners involved in this project contain three major groups of ionic species: (i) monovalent and polyvalent radio-nuclide cations (Cs, Co, Sr, and Ni) (ii) non-radioactive alkaline cations (Na, K), (iii) nitrate and borate anions, with the overall salt content being up to 150 g/L. During the project duration, it will be necessary to optimize the separation process at the laboratory scale and demonstrate its viability through the construction of a laboratory pilot system used to simulate certain features of industrial-scale units. Novel separation-dedicated materials will be designed, developed and tested in simulated waste solutions. This industrial-type research, done by a partnership combining the expertise of academic and industrial partners, will implement the principles of eco-design in both the process development and the materials conception. The Consortium comprises 3 research organisations (AIME and IAM in the ICGM UMR CNRS 5253, GPEB UMR CIRAD 016) and 2 industrial partners (ONET Technologies and COATEX). The project will be co-ordinated by Jerzy ZAJAC (ICGM-AIME). The work plan includes 4 scientific and technical work-packages, and a fifth work package devoted to project management, dissemination and valorisation activities. The Consortium will exploit the results obtained in the project lifetime in accordance with the interests of France, taking into account the international competitiveness of French industry.