EU - ReCosy - Redox Phenomina Controlling Systems

ReCosy is a four year (2008-2012) Collaborative Project under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) starting on 1 April 2008. Main objectives of ReCosy are the sound understanding of redox phenomena controlling the long-term release/retention of radionuclides in nuclear waste disposal and providing tools to apply the result to Performance Assessment/Safety Case.

The key objectives of ReCosy are to provide an improved interpretation of redox potential in all relevant host-rock systems to be used within European Safety Cases.

For this purpose the scientific and technical objectives are:

a) Developing advanced methods for determination of redox conditions in the concerned specific systems
b)Identification of components that govern the system redox conditions.
c) Identification of the equilibrium and deviation from equilibrium of different redox sensitive components
d) Determination of the kinetics/time function response of system components to perturbances related to relevant scenarios within the disposal Safety Case
e) Determination of redox reactions of sensitive radionuclides and the deduction of their transport/retention properties.
f) Determination of the impact of microorganism on the redox conditions of the overall system and individual components. g) Identification of redox processes driving the spent fuel dissolution, including redox coupling with relevant near-field materials. Education, training, communication and dissemination are additional objectives a) Training of young researchers within the project by scientific mobility measurements and workshops on specific topics b) Documentation, communication and dissemination of the results, addressing the directly concerned community involved in the nuclear waste disposal safety case and a broader scientific community.