96% of materials recycled from the R2 reactor

During AB Svafo’s work on the decommissioning and dismantling of the nuclear research reactor R2, approximately 9,000 tonnes of waste were generated. The waste consisted mainly of concrete and metal. 

Through careful planning of working methods, sorting materials at source, and well-developed methods for radiological clearance, 86 % of the material was recycled. Less than 1 % of the waste was sent to landfill, while the remaining 13 % was packaged for interim storage before it could be sent to SKB’s final repositories for nuclear waste.

The subsequent conventional demolition of the building generated nearly 39,000 tonnes of waste, primarily concrete, soil and stone. By establishing site-specific reference values for contaminants in the material, concrete and soil could be reused for backfilling the deep cavities created during the demolition of the reactor building. 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 material 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.

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.