ENCAPSULATION TECHNOLOGY | WASTE MANAGEMENT encapsulation Advancing
Initial trials of a proprietary geopolymer technology capable of encapsulating a broad range of problematic waste types demonstrate a 40% increase in
sludge waste incorporation with the potential to make significant budget savings. What are the next steps?
By Tim Abbott, Lucideon Business Manager, Marta Fedorciuc-Onisa, Lucideon Senior Chemist and Adrian Davis-Johnson, NUVIA Head of Innovation
TO SECURE ITS ROLE AS part of the future energy mix, the nuclear sector must continue to demonstrate how it will deal with the challenge of problematic legacy waste whilst developing safe, innovative technologies that reduce the cost of ongoing waste treatment and storage. All of this must be achieved within the parameters of environmental sustainability and financial viability. When one thinks of innovative technology, our minds
are often drawn to glamorous cutting-edge technologies such as robotics and AI, or groundbreaking products like the iPhone or Concorde. However, an important part of the innovation mix is making step-change improvements in processes and materials rather than making a gadget or a gizmo. Yet, these less conspicuous changes are essential in delivering the modifications required to further our shared vision of the nuclear industry’s safer, secure, and sustainable future. One of the nuclear industry’s notable strengths lies in
its collaborative approach to invention and innovation. Throughout its history, it has consistently showcased a remarkable capacity for bringing together industrial, academic, and government stakeholders to tackle some of the world’s most complex challenges. These innovators identify critical challenges and embark on the developing and optimising their solutions, even in the face of
considerable risks and limited funding. One such example is the collaboration between Lucideon, an international materials technology company based in Staffordshire, UK, and NUVIA, a global nuclear engineering solutions provider. The two businesses have forged a partnership that
has quickly demonstrated the potential for Lucideon’s MIDAR®
Technique (MALLET™
encapsulation of a variety of nuclear waste forms. MIDAR®
is a geopolymer technology that uses a
low-temperature chemical reaction to consolidate aluminosilicates and form a robust body with high strength and chemical stability. The resulting material is suitable as an encapsulation and immobilisation agent by incorporating a solid or liquid waste stream into the inorganic solid matrix formed during the reaction. MIDAR® material is classified as an alkali-activated cement / geopolymer that relies on minimally processed natural materials or industrial by-products to achieve a significantly lower carbon footprint than Portland Cement (PC). The technology brings together a unique blend of
materials science, formulation technologies, and people expertise to provide the optimum performing geopolymer solution across a range of applications. It was developed in response to several nuclear industry waste disposal
-Augmented Lower-cost Lower-carbon Encapsulation ) as a long-term solution for the
Above: Homogeneous sample section of Magnox Sludge Matrix with 70% by weight waste. Waste simulant provided by Sellafield Ltd.
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