A Review of Environmental and Economic Implications of Closing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle—Part One: Wastes and Environmental Impacts

Robin Taylor, William Bodel, Laurence Stamford and Gregg Butler
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Robin Taylor: National Nuclear Laboratory, Central Laboratory, Sellafield, Seascale CA20 1PG, UK
William Bodel: Dalton Nuclear Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Laurence Stamford: Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Gregg Butler: Dalton Nuclear Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-35

Abstract: Globally, around half a million tonnes of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) will be in dry or wet storage by around 2050. Continued storage is not sustainable, and this SNF must eventually either be disposed (the open nuclear fuel cycle) or recycled (the closed fuel cycle). Many international studies have addressed the advantages and disadvantages of these options. To inform this debate, a detailed survey of the available literature related to environmental assessments of closed and open cycles has been undertaken. Environmental impacts are one of the three pillars that, alongside economic and societal impacts, must be considered for sustainable development. The aims are to provide a critical review of the open literature in order to determine what generic conclusions can be drawn from the broad base of international studies. This review covers the results of life cycle assessments and studies on waste arisings, showing how the management of spent fuels in the open and closed cycles impact the environment, including the use of natural resources, radioactive waste characteristics (heat loading, radiotoxicity and volume) and the size of the geological repository. In the framework of sustainable development, the next part of this review will consider economic impacts.

Keywords: radioactive waste; spent nuclear fuel; sustainability; nuclear fuel cycle; closed fuel cycle; open fuel cycle; life cycle analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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