As part of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI), the reduction in volume and heat generation of spent nuclear fuel requiring geologic disposal is currently being addressed. The goal is to optimize utilization of the nation’s first repository and potentially reduce or eliminate the need for additional repositories. This will be achieved through separating long-lived, highly toxic elements, reducing high-level waste volumes and the toxicity of spent nuclear fuel, and reducing the heat generation of spent nuclear fuel. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is working closely with a team of national laboratories and other organizations to support development of these separations processes. Key to the reduction of short-term heat load in a geological repository is the separation of 137Cs and 90Sr. Removal of these highly radioactive fission products reduces the short-term (~100 yr) heat generation source of the spent nuclear fuel. Once separated, the Cs and Sr would be placed in storage until the activity has decayed to LLW levels, at which time it could potentially be disposed of as a non-transuranic (TRU) low-level waste (LLW)
