Current Status and Challenges in Research on Chemistry and Radionuclide Migration Behavior of High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal

• Published in: Hé huàxué yŭ fàngshè huàxué Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 419 - 433
• Main Authors: Duo ZHOU, Bo WANG, Cheng-ming SHANG, Ping CHEN, Ming-fang ZHOU, Sheng-dong ZHANG
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: Editorial Office of Journal of Nuclear and Radiochemistry 01.08.2025
• Subjects: geological disposal; high-level radioactive waste; leaching source term; radionuclide migration; redox reaction
• ISSN: 0253-9950
• DOI: 10.7538/hhx.2025.47.04.0419

Nuclear energy, as a low-carbon and highly efficient clean energy source, relies for its sustainable development not only on advanced reactor technologies and fuel cycle efficiency, but more critically, on the ability to safely and permanently dispose of the high-level radioactive waste(HLW) generated during its operation. The safe disposal of HLW constitutes the closing loop of the full life-cycle management of nuclear energy technology, serving as the ultimate safeguard for ensuring its environmentally friendly attributes. Whether this critical step is handled appropriately directly determines the social acceptance of nuclear energy as a “clean energy” label and fundamentally impacts its potential for long-term development. Therefore, the safe disposal of high-level waste is not merely a technical challenge; it is a core issue concerning energy strategy, environmental protection, and societal trust. The core challenges facing high-level waste disposal are multidimensional and extremely complex. Firstly, the