MANCHESTER, UK – UK scientists have launched a significant five-year, multi-million-pound program aimed at transforming irradiated nuclear waste into new graphite for advanced reactors, addressing a critical supply chain vulnerability and a major environmental challenge. The ambitious project, known as ENLIGHT (Enabling a Lifecycle Approach to Graphite for Advanced Modular Reactors), will develop innovative methods for recycling over 100,000 tonnes of existing nuclear graphite waste while simultaneously establishing a domestic supply chain for this vital material.
The initiative, led by the University of Manchester in collaboration with the Universities of Oxford, Plymouth, and Loughborough, has secured over £13 million in funding, including an £8.2 million grant from UK Research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and approximately £5 million from industry partners. This endeavor is projected to save the UK up to £2 billion in future waste management costs and bolster the nation’s energy security and net-zero ambitions.
Addressing a Critical Supply Gap and Waste Challenge
Graphite is an essential component in many nuclear reactor designs, particularly Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) like High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors and Molten Salt Reactors, acting as a moderator to control nuclear fission. Despite its crucial role and accounting for roughly one-third of reactor build costs, the UK currently relies entirely on imports for its nuclear-grade graphite.
Compounding this reliance is the impending decommissioning of the UK’s Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) fleet by 2028, which will add to the country’s existing stockpile of over 100,000 tonnes of irradiated graphite waste. The ENLIGHT programme aims to tackle these dual challenges by pioneering new approaches to both recycling legacy material and producing new, sustainable, high-performance graphite suitable for future AMRs.
The ENLIGHT Programme: A Multi-faceted Approach
The five-year ENLIGHT program will focus on several key areas to establish a circular economy for nuclear graphite:
Sustainable Graphite Recycling Technologies
A core aspect of the program involves developing processes for decontaminating, recycling, and reusing irradiated graphite from decommissioned reactors. This includes exploring methods to remove radioactive species from the material, potentially reclassifying it to a lower waste level, which would significantly reduce disposal costs and complexities.
Designing Next-Generation Graphite Materials
Researchers will focus on designing novel graphite materials engineered to withstand the extreme conditions found within AMR environments. This involves understanding how these new materials behave under novel reactor conditions to improve their lifespan and ensure their suitability for advanced reactor designs.
Strengthening Domestic Supply Chains
By developing the capability to produce nuclear graphite from recycled waste and potentially other domestic sources, the ENLIGHT program seeks to re-establish a UK-based graphite supply chain. This move is crucial for enhancing the UK’s energy security and reducing its dependence on overseas suppliers for a critical nuclear component.
Economic and Strategic Benefits
The potential economic benefits of the ENLIGHT program are substantial. By finding viable solutions for the existing irradiated graphite waste, the UK could save up to £2 billion in future waste management costs. Furthermore, establishing a sovereign supply of nuclear graphite would reduce import reliance and strengthen the UK’s position as a leader in nuclear innovation.
Professor Abbie Jones, Chair in Nuclear Graphite at The University of Manchester and Principal Investigator for ENLIGHT, emphasized the program’s significance. “ENLIGHT will lay the foundation to re-establish a UK-based graphite supply chain while developing sustainable solutions to recycle and reuse irradiated graphite – transforming a growing waste stream into a valuable resource,” she stated. She added that the program would reduce waste, strengthen energy security, and support the country’s net-zero ambitions.
The program also aims to foster skills development within the nuclear sector, expanding the national graphite research community and training the next generation of scientists and engineers essential for the UK’s clean energy future. This initiative is seen as a vital step towards the government’s goal of delivering 24GW of new nuclear power by 2050, playing a crucial role in the UK’s net-zero transition.
