Nuclear Development 2007 Management of Recyclable Fissile and Fertile Materials Interest in nuclear energy continues to grow in many countries as a means to ensure security of energy supply and to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector. In this context, recyclable materials constitute an asset for broadening the resource base for nuclear fuel supply, especially in medium- and Materials Fertile and Fissile of Recyclable Management long-term perspectives. Management of This report provides an overview of recyclable fissile and fertile materials inventories which can be reused as nuclear fuel. It reviews the options available for managing those materials, through recycling and/or disposal. The potential energetic value of recyclable materials is assessed, taking into account the variability Recyclable Fissile of retrievable energy contents of various materials according to technology and strategy choices made by the owners of the materials. and Fertile Materials The analyses contained in this report will be of particular interest to energy policy makers and to nuclear fuel cycle experts. www.nea.fr (66 2007 03 1 P) € 30 -:HSTCQE=UXWZZW: ISBN 978-92-64-03255-2 NUCLEAR•ENERGY•AGENCY Nuclear Development Management of Recyclable Fissile and Fertile Materials © OECD 2007 NEA No. 6107 NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. * * * This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) was established on 1st February 1958 under the name of the OEEC European Nuclear Energy Agency. It received its present designation on 20th April 1972, when Japan became its first non-European full member. NEA membership today consists of 28 OECD member countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities also takes part in the work of the Agency. The mission of the NEA is: to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, as well as to provide authoritative assessments and to forge common understandings on key issues, as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD policy analyses in areas such as energy and sustainable development. Specific areas of competence of the NEA include safety and regulation of nuclear activities, radioactive waste management, radiological protection, nuclear science, economic and technical analyses of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear law and liability, and public information. The NEA Data Bank provides nuclear data and computer program services for participating countries. In these and related tasks, the NEA works in close collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, with which it has a Co-operation Agreement, as well as with other international organisations in the nuclear field. © OECD 2007 No reproduction, copy, transmission or translation of this publication may be made without written permission. Applications should be sent to OECD Publishing: [email protected] or by fax (+33-1) 45 24 99 30. Permission to photocopy a portion of this work should be addressed to the Centre Français d’exploitation du droit de Copie (CFC), 20 rue des Grands-Augustins, 75006 Paris, France, fax (+33-1) 46 34 67 19, ([email protected]) or (for US only) to Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive Danvers, MA 01923, USA, fax +1 978 646 8600, [email protected]. Cover credits: Posiva Oy and Melox. FOREWORD The main objective of the study on recyclable fissile and fertile materials, carried out under the auspices of the NEA Committee on Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC), was to provide policy makers with an overview of key issues raised by the management of such materials. The study was carried out by a group of experts which collected and analysed data and information on inventories of recyclable materials and on technologies available or under development for their management. The study focuses on policy and strategic issues, with emphasis on impacts of technology choices and timing of the development of alternative reactor types and fuel cycle schemes on the potential energetic value of recyclable materials. The study’s conclusions highlight the importance of recyclable fissile and fertile materials in view of future nuclear energy development, taking into account sustainable development goals. In addition, the analyses show that technical options are available or under development for the management – by means of recycling and/or disposal – of all material inventories. 3 Cover_f.fm Page 1 Wednesday, April 7, 2004 11:00 AM TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD................................................................................................................................. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................... 7 1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Background............................................................................................................ 9 1.2 Objectives, scope and approach............................................................................. 10 1.3 The study in perspective ........................................................................................ 10 1.4 Nuclear fuel cycle and fossil fuels......................................................................... 12 1.5 Other relevant studies ............................................................................................ 14 1.6 Overview of the report........................................................................................... 15 References ....................................................................................................................... 16 Selected IAEA Bibliography........................................................................................... 16 2. INVENTORIES, MANAGEMENT ISSUES AND TRENDS ............................................... 17 2.1 Sources of recyclable materials ............................................................................. 17 2.2 Inventory and energy content of recyclable materials ........................................... 18 2.3 Recycling and waste management......................................................................... 20 2.4 Management opportunities and challenges............................................................ 21 2.5 Impact of fuel cycle trends on recycling uranium and plutonium ......................... 28 References ....................................................................................................................... 32 3. MAIN MANAGEMENT OPTIONS........................................................................................ 33 3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................ 33 3.2 Disposal ................................................................................................................. 33 3.3 Recycling ............................................................................................................... 37 3.4 Concluding comments ........................................................................................... 42 References ....................................................................................................................... 43 4. INDICATORS FOR ASSESSING MANAGEMENT OPTIONS ........................................