- University of Sheffield awarded share of £1 million to address challenges in radioactive waste treatment, packaging, and storage
- The new research project, funded by the UK in partnership with the Japanese government, will support work to decommission Sellafield Nuclear Plant in the UK and remove radioactive debris from the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan
- The funding will further strengthen the University of Sheffield’s position as a global leader in cement science and engineering
New research, led by the University of Sheffield, that will develop technologies to detect and process radioactive waste has been awarded funding by the UK in partnership with the Japanese government.
The research will support work to decommission Sellafield Nuclear Plant in the UK and remove radioactive debris from the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.
The University of Sheffield will lead one of two projects which have been awarded a share of £1 million, delivered by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, to address challenges in:
- radioactive waste treatment, packaging, and storage;
- remote handling, robotic, and autonomous systems in decommissioning;
- environmental behaviour of radionuclide release and management of risk and degraded infrastructure.
The research projects are being led by academics at the universities of Sheffield and Strathclyde.
Dr Brant Walkley, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, will lead a study to use calcined clays as natural resources to engineer ‘geopolymer binders’. The binders will safely cement solid radioactive fuel debris from molten core concrete comprising metallic alloys, oxides, and silicates, and slurries and sediments.
Dr Brant Walkley, Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, said: "It is excellent news that UKRI and MEXT have chosen to fund this research that will tackle immediate and significant challenges with processing and safe disposal of radioactive waste from the Sellafield and Fukushima sites.
"This investment highlights the confidence of UK and Japanese research councils in the University of Sheffield as a centre of research excellence in cement chemistry and engineering. It will enhance our overall programme of work focused on development of new cement technologies for the nuclear sector, and will enable Sheffield to further strengthen its position as a global leader in cement science and engineering.
“This research brings together global academic leaders from the University of Sheffield and Hokkaido University, as well leading UK industrialists from Sellafield Ltd and National Nuclear Laboratory. Working together we will use calcined clays as natural resources to produce robust, multifunctional, and highly effective geopolymer binders for long-term management and disposal of degraded fuels and contaminated wastes in Japan and UK nuclear sectors. This is a critical challenge that must be overcome to safely decommission both the Sellafield and Fukushima sites.”
Dr Walkley added: “We have worked closely with colleagues from Japan for many years, and through these collaborations have achieved significantly more in terms of advancing research and innovation than could have been done apart. This research funding will further strengthen the collaboration between the UK and Japan in civil nuclear research, and allow us to continue our cutting-edge research to benefit society and the environment."
The UK-Japan Civil Nuclear Research programme is a partnership between UK Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
This is the first UKRI award through the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) which was launched by Science Minister George Freeman in Japan in December.
The ISPF supports collaborations between UK researchers and innovators and their peers from around the world to address global challenges, build knowledge and develop the technologies of tomorrow on the major themes of our time: planet, health, tech and talent.
George Freeman MP, UK Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said:
“After I launched the International Science Partnerships Fund in Japan last year, it is only fitting that our first UKRI award from the Fund is in partnership with Japan too.
“Processing nuclear waste is an enormous challenge for human civilisation. Bringing together the UK and Japan’s brightest minds, to focus our shared expertise in sensing, data, chemistry and more, cuts to the core of what this Fund and our science superpower mission is all about – harnessing UK scientific leadership through deeper international collaboration for global good, to tackle the most pressing needs facing humanity.”
This programme builds on a long-standing relationship between EPSRC and the Japanese research community and government.
Professor Christopher Smith, International Champion at UKRI, said:
“International partnerships are crucial to ensuring we learn from each other and harness the extraordinary potential of research and innovation to overcome challenges and future proof our safety and wellbeing in the UK and around the world. These new investments are an example of this.
“Experts from across the UK and Japan will work together to find innovative solutions to safely detect and dispose of radioactive nuclear debris to protect and safeguard local environments now and for future generations.”
The second research project will be led by Dr Paul Murray from the University of Strathclyde to improve the detection, safeguarding, retrieval and disposal of radioactive debris. Bringing together a team of researchers and industrialists from the UK and Japan, the project will develop new inspection technologies using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) along with other sensor technologies and data fusion.
Additional information
A list of UKRI’s current ISPF programmes is here.
