Pyrolysis of spent resins

Across the globe, in the nuclear sector, waste storage is filling up and with life expansion plans for power plants waste storage space is becoming critical. Spent resins represent a relatively large portion of the waste that is currently in repository, while no treatment method exists to efficiently, sustainably and economically reduce volume and increase safety. 

The PRIME installation combines evaporation, drying and pyrolysis in one single electric unit. It processes both wet and dry resins directly in the reactor. At temperatures between 300 and 500 °C, organic components break down under inert conditions, forming a dry, inert residue that retains the radioactivity and allows easy traceability and isotopic analysis. Unlike incineration, pyrolysis is a stable and well-controlled thermal process that prevents agglomeration of resin beads and minimizes dust formation, thereby retaining radio nuclides within the solid waste residue.

Spent resins typically yield a volume reduction factor (VRF) between 5 and 10, depending on resin type. The end product is mostly composed of carbon and small amounts of residual metals or sulfur compounds.

The fully electric design eliminates the need for auxiliary fossil fuels, significantly reducing the carbon footprint while offering a compact, safe, and easy-to-operate installation. Designed to fit the main process in a 20-foot ISO container, the PRIME unit is mobile and easily deployable on-site. With its patented technology and robust performance, PRIME is a next-generation answer to one of the nuclear sector’s most pressing waste challenges.