Use of bentonite for decommissioning of nuclear- and radiation-hazardous sites

In the Russian Federation there are 13 industrial uranium-graphite reactors (UGRR) – producers of weapon-grade plutonium at the sites of JSC SKhK, FSUE GKhK and FSUE PO MAYAK. All reactors are currently shut down, 3 of them are mothballed using the ‘in-situ disposal’ technology. The concept is to remove all reactor process piping and further backfill by pneumatic conveying of the reactor and near-reactor rooms with powdered material. Bentonite is a component of this material mix.