Managing Fusion Radioactive Materials: Approaches and Challenges Facing Fusion in the 21st Century

In recent decades, fusion designers have become increasingly aware of the large amount of mildly radioactive materials that fusion generates in comparison to their fission counterpart, which is a problem that was overlooked in early fusion studies. This radioactive waste (radwaste) problem could influence public acceptability of fusion and will certainly become a significant issue in the immediate future as fusion moves forward toward commercialization. There is a growing appreciation to revisit the 1960s decision that relegated all radwaste to the back end as only a disposal issue. In light of the challenges facing fusion in the 21st century, a thoughtful alternate approach that promotes recycling and clearance of all fusion radioactive materials is considered to stress the environmental value of fusion in utilizing natural assets efficiently, assert the fundamental premise of fusion as a nuclear energy source with minimal environmental impact, and gain public acceptability for fusion. This strategy helps to reach the common goal of several organizations that recommend recycling and clearing as much radioactive material as practically possible to reduce final radwaste burdens/risks and to maximize the use of natural resources. Recognizing the relatively early stages of commercial fusion maturity, lessons learned and worldwide industrial experiences from other nuclear fields are valuable resources for the fusion recycling/clearance approach. To make such an approach a reality, the global fusion program should be set up to accommodate the new strategy at an early stage of fusion designs and address the identified issues and needs with directed research and development programs. The absence of official fusion regulatory guidelines has been recognized for several decades, but some progress has been made in recent years, recognizing that fusion is different from fission and has a different radionuclide profile.