96% of materials recycled from the R2 reactor

During AB Svafo’s work with decommissioning and dismantling of the nuclear research reactor R2, approximately 9 000 tons of waste have been generated. The waste consists mainly of concrete and metal. 

Through careful planning of working methods and by sorting the material at the source, together with well-developed methods for radiological clearance, 86% of the material has been recycled. Less than 1% of the waste has been sent to landfill and the remaining 13% has been packed for interim storage before it can be sent to SKB´s final repositories for nuclear waste.

The subsequent conventional demolition of the building generated nearly 39 000 tons of waste, mainly concrete, soil and stones. By establishing site-specific reference values for contaminants in the material, concrete and soil could be used for backfilling in the deep cavities that arose when the reactor building was demolished. Metal was recycled thanks to skilful sorting.

This led to a recycling rate of as much as 98% of the material from the conventional demolition. Additional material was required for backfilling, but Svafo was given the opportunity to acquire surplus materials from a construction project carried out by Cyclife Sweden AB. This saved money and reduced the environmental impact of transportation.

This means that an astonishing 96% of the total volume could be recycled.

R-strategy: Recycle Business Area Generation, AB Svafo Home Vattenfall achieved high recycling rates during the dismantling of the R2 nuclear research reactor.

AB Svafo is a non-profit-making company within the Vattenfall Group, with the purpose of decommissioning nuclear facilities from previous research and development activities in Sweden. The intermediate storage and management of Swedish legacy waste, until its final disposal, are included in this task.