20 Oct From Waste to Ash

At Danish Decommissioning, we are constantly working to minimize the volume of waste that needs to be disposed of in the future. A new initiative is an agreement with the highly specialized Swedish company Studsvik concerning the incineration of the combustible portion of the waste.

TThe first eight containers of low-level waste have been dispatched. The containers contain, for example, plastic, wood, and other combustible materials from the Decommissioning. Once the material has been incinerated, Studsvik sends the ash, the filter material from the incineration process, and the empty containers back to Danish Decommissioning.

“Instead of eight containers requiring storage, we can manage with a few drums. This is, of course, an advantage,” says Heidi Sjølin Thomsen, team leader for waste management.

However, it also required considerable effort to finalize the incineration agreement for the first consignment. First and foremost, regulatory approvals, tendering, and contracts needed to be secured. Subsequently, DD employees had to implement new routines for waste sorting and handling to meet Studsvik's requirements.

All waste must be delivered in clear plastic bags – and no single item may exceed 0.6 x 0.5 x 0.4 m, as it would then not fit into Studsvik's incineration chamber. Furthermore, the Swedish definition of combustible waste differs slightly from Danish practice.

“For instance, Studsvik will not accept biological or toxic waste at all. Furthermore, materials such as rubber, PVC, or other flame-retardant plastics may only constitute a small fraction of the waste,” states Heidi Sjølin Thomsen.

It can be challenging to immediately determine if plastic contains flame retardants. However, the employees preparing waste for shipment have discovered a method applicable in specific situations. A small sample of the plastic is placed on a red-hot copper wire. If it produces a distinct green flame, the plastic contains the flame retardants chlorine or bromine – and thus, there are limits to the quantity that can be sent to Studsvik.

“The agreement with Studsvik currently entails additional work for us in sorting the waste and potentially reducing it to appropriate sizes. However, the resulting reduction in the amount of radioactive waste that will subsequently need to be stored in Denmark is clearly worth the effort,” concludes Heidi Sjølin Thomsen.