# Activation Analyses of Disposal Options for Irradiated Be\({}_{12}\)Ti
## 5 Recycling Possibilities for the Irradiated Be\({}_{12}\)Ti  
For the DEMO fusion reactor, the two operation phases are considered with durations of 5.2 and 14.8 calendar years. Because of the limited world Be resources, a recycling option should also be considered to relax or decrease the Be demands for the HCPB DEMO blankets in the second phase. Any recycling strategy has to include the following three generic steps: (1) detritition, (2) purification or removal of the radioactive products and (3) production of the Be\({}_{12}\)Ti blocks. The basic procedure for the tritium removal from the irradiated Be\({}_{12}\)Ti blocks is high-temperature annealing. The experiments performed at the irradiated Be samples show that tritium release has a non-diffusive (explosive) nature [10]: the tritium release reaction rate as a function of the annealing temperature has a sharp peak. The effective temperature of the peak depends on the neutron fluence applied to the samples: the higher the fluence, the more the tritium atoms accumulate and the lower the peak of the annealing temperature. The sample heating rate also affects the peak temperature: the increase in the rate leads to the decrease in the peak temperature [10]. We expect that the detritition of the Be\({}_{12}\)Ti blocks follows the same tendencies. The temperature of the peaks for an efficient tritium release varies from \(\sim\)400 to 900 \({}^{\circ}\)C depending on the irradiation history and the heating rate. The peak value of the tritium concentration in the irradiated Be\({}_{12}\)Ti calculated in the equatorial mid plane of the blanket was assessed without implementation of the tritium removal rate and it was estimated to be \(\sim\)1.9\(\cdot\)10\({}^{12}\) Bq/g right after the reactor shutdown. This value drastically exceeds the clearance limit of 100 Bq/g [11]. It exceeds by \(\sim\)10,000 times and \(\sim\)2000 times the limits accepted in the Centre Stockage de l'Aube and in the El Cabril facilities, respectively (Tables 8 and 9). Therefore, the deep and long detritition procedure seems to be absolutely necessary to assure the safe treatment of the \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c} \hline
**Isotope** & **Activity.** **Bq/kg** & **Isotope** & **Dose Rate Inhalation, \%** \\ \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{**10 years**} \\ \hline Co-60 & \(3.92\times 10^{9}\) & Pu-239 & \(4.15\times 10^{1}\) \\ Fe-55 & \(1.31\times 10^{9}\) & Co-60 & \(2.10\times 10^{1}\) \\ Ni-63 & \(9.93\times 10^{7}\) & Pu-238 & \(1.48\times 10^{1}\) \\ C-14 & \(1.78\times 10^{7}\) & Pu-240 & \(5.62\times 10^{0}\) \\  & & Pu-241 & \(5.56\times 10^{0}\) \\  & & Am-241 & \(5.50\times 10^{0}\) \\  & & Ar-39 & \(2.30\times 10^{0}\) \\  & & Kr-85 & \(2.12\times 10^{0}\) \\  & & Ar-42 & \(9.99\times 10^{-1}\) \\  & & Fe-55 & \(1.75\times 10^{-1}\) \\ \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{**100 years**} \\ \hline Ni-63 & \(5.34\times 10^{7}\) & Pu-239 & \(6.09\times 10^{1}\) \\ C-14 & \(1.76\times 10^{7}\) & Am-241 & \(1.70\times 10^{1}\) \\ Ag-108m & \(3.17\times 10^{6}\) & Pu-238 & \(1.07\times 10^{1}\) \\ Pu-239 & \(2.00\times 10^{6}\) & Pu-240 & \(8.19\times 10^{0}\) \\ U-235m & \(2.00\times 10^{6}\) & Ar-39 & \(2.68\times 10^{0}\) \\ Cs-137 & \(1.15\times 10^{6}\) & Ar-42 & \(2.22\times 10^{-1}\) \\ Ba-137m & \(1.09\times 10^{6}\) & & \\ Ni-59 & \(7.88\times 10^{5}\) & & \\ Am-241 & \(6.96\times 10^{5}\) & & \\ Y-90 & \(4.89\times 10^{5}\) & & \\ Sr-90 & \(4.89\times 10^{5}\) & & \\ Be-10 & \(4.81\times 10^{5}\) & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 14: _Cont._irradiated Be\({}_{12}\)Ti. The duration of the annealing procedure to reach the acceptable level of the tritium concentration is beyond the subject of this paper. In the case of the full recycling of the irradiated Be\({}_{12}\)Ti, the purification process should follow the detritition of the blocks. Nowadays, the technology for the recycling of the irradiated Be and, moreover, for the irradiated Be\({}_{12}\)Ti, does not exist in an industrial scale.