Opportunities for process intensification technologies in nuclear effluent treatment: A review of precipitators, adsorbers and separators

This paper reviews the technologies and opportunities for process intensification (PI) in nuclear effluent treatment. PI is an area that has already created many innovations within the chemicals industry, and offers a growing field of research and development potential for nuclear operations. Technologies are considered here to be those ultimately resulting in step-change improvements to a number of operational aspects; such as smaller unit footprints, enhanced heat and mass transfer, reduction in secondary wastes, improved process safety and synergy, or direct integration with other downstream processes. Herein, we conduct a rigorous evaluation and scoping assessment of unit designs for the treatment of nuclear liquid effluents and solid-liquid waste management. Specific focus is given to precipitation, adsorption and separation operations, where over 250 articles are detailed, and prospects for technology transfer are discussed. In general, there is a trade-off in PI designs between operational simplicity (which may be more easily adopted in nuclear treatments) and more mechanically complex strategies that may, however, attain suitable scale-up requirements. Analysed options vary from those that would be radically different for industry, to those where applications are increasingly common in other process areas, with the advantages and limitations of all being discussed.