Environment and waste
Finding robust ways to safely clean-up, manage and dispose of the nuclear legacy, contaminated environments and the resultant radioactive wastes is a global grand challenge.
Key contacts
Our research is focused on solving key challenges in radioactivity research across engineered and natural environments.
Examples include:
- Understanding the behaviour of radionuclides in contaminated land and radioactive waste disposal scenarios.
- Defining the behaviour of radionuclides in radioactive effluent management processes for effluents generated across the fuel cycle such as those from the recycle of spent nuclear fuel and fuel storage pond liquors.
- Exploring how radionuclides contaminate surfaces in fuel cycle operations and how to best decontaminate these materials.
- Determining how waste packages will behave over timescales relevant to long-term storage and disposal, taking into account the effects of radioactivity.
We apply cross-cutting research skills and expertise, deploying the highest quality physical, chemical and biological science research, coupled with modern analysis techniques and modelling approaches.
For quality, volume and impact, we are a UK leader in nuclear environment and waste research. Our multidisciplinary approach, which starts off at the molecular level, has given new understanding of radionuclide and materials behaviour in the complex and varied systems relevant to nuclear clean-up and waste disposal.
We host the Radioactive Waste Management Research Support Office (RWM RSO), a collaboration with The University of Sheffield working to harness UK university capabilities to help support radioactive waste management solutions.
This work is helping us, with our funding partners and with industry to underpin safe, cost-efficient clean-up of nuclear facilities and disposal of radioactive wastes.
More information
The following research groups, centres and institutes work within the environment and waste field:
