Deep Isolation to design waste disposal plan for Argonne National Lab's $4.9M CURIE grant to develop spent nuclear fuel recycling processes

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Deep Isolation announced today that it is part of a team that has been selected to receive $4.9 million in funding as part of the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E CURIE program to develop and demonstrate oxide reduction technology for pyrochemical recycling of light water reactor used nuclear fuel.

The team, led by Argonne National Laboratory, also includes Oklo, Inc., and Case Western Reserve University. CURIE (Converting UNF Radioisotopes Into Energy) funds innovations in reprocessing technologies that aim to extract and recycle valuable actinides from used nuclear fuel to later power next generation nuclear reactors.

Deep Isolation will develop an integrated waste disposal plan using its cost-effective deep borehole repository technology for OR waste while determining ideal waste acceptance parameters through economic modeling to achieve program target metrics for reduced disposal costs, as there will still be some volume of waste left after the process.

"Performing the technical and economic analyses of the waste streams alongside the OR process development is important as it will ensure that a disposal pathway for the remaining waste exists before the technology is fully commercialized," said Deep Isolation Head of Engineering and Project Lead Jesse Sloane. "These combined efforts will increase the technical readiness level of the recycling process and help make the case for the economics of spent fuel reprocessing by considering complete operational costs from the raw fuel material through disposal."

Deep Isolation is also part of another selected CURIE project: A $2.8M grant led by EPRI that will develop an advanced reactor fuel cycle enterprise.

Deep Isolation now has a total of four federal projects. It has a $3.6M grant to develop a universal nuclear waste disposal canister for AR waste streams and is part of a $4M grant to study borehole disposal options for the first U.S. nuclear fuel recycling and disposal facility.

These projects will help expand applications of Deep Isolation technology across a wider range of current and future fuel cycle options.

About Deep Isolation 
Deep Isolation is a leading global innovator in nuclear waste storage and disposal solutions. Driven by a passion for environmental stewardship and scientific ingenuity, the company's patented solution of advanced nuclear technologies enables global delivery through its partnerships with industry leaders as well as flexible IP licensing options.

Media Contact: Kari Hulac, kari@deepisolation.com