Could forestry waste contribute to the production of clean nuclear energy? It’s the question researchers at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), NanoTerraTech Advanced Materials Inc. (NanoTerraTech) and University of British Columbia (UBC) are exploring through a unique collaborative research partnership focused on developing sustainable bio-carbon materials for use in advanced nuclear technologies, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
The research not only underscores the opportunity to address the abundance of forest floor waste that needs to be removed in British Columbia’s forests as part of wildfire prevention but provides an alternative solution to burning it. It would reduce the need for mined natural graphite or synthetic graphite derived from fossil fuels. Plus, as nuclear energy production in Canada (and the world) is set to grow, such innovative research will hopefully demonstrate how sustainability can contribute to what is already a clean energy source.
Professor at the School of Engineering and a Scientific Director at UBC Okanagan’s CleanTech Hub, Dr. Lukas Bichler, alongside NanoTerraTech researchers, have already developed a process to convert forest floor waste into solid carbon, particularly bio-graphite (a stable form of carbon). The process involves several steps, including high pressure and temperature treatments to remove volatile compounds, and then acid/base leaching for the removal of inorganic impurities. The final step, consisting of high-temperature, high-pressure processing transforms the bio-derived carbon into a graphite. As a result, this innovative process helps sequester the carbon that would otherwise be released as harmful greenhouse gases.
Now, researchers at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories are looking at how to turn this graphite into nuclear-grade material to use in TRISO (Tri-structural Isotropic) fuel – renowned for its robust safety characteristics and under development for several SMR and microreactor concepts. The focus is on improving the purity of this graphite, making it suitable for nuclear fuel applications. CNL is also working on incorporating it into TRISO fuel compacts, leveraging Canada’s national nuclear laboratory’s capabilities and expertise.
“With a growing focus on turning innovative research into real-world solutions, CNL is also keen to understand if this technology could be commercialized,” said Dr. Anil Prasad, Fuel Scientist, CNL. “As of now, there is no robust nuclear-grade graphite supply in Canada and this partnership is an opportunity to leverage Canada’s natural resource wealth and research excellence to build a competitive, sustainable nuclear supply chain.”
The collaborative partnership is funded through MITACS Accelerate research program, with a portion of CNL’s contribution to the partnership supported by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s Federal Nuclear Science & Technology Work Plan.
“By leveraging innovative treatment technologies, we aim to decrease impurity levels, a critical characteristic for the Tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel being considered for use in SMRs and other nuclear grade components. This project will not only refine our thermal and chemical treatment methods, but also fabricate and characterize TRISO fuel compacts with our bio- graphite, ensuring it meets the stringent requirements of next-generation reactor designs.”
– Scott Farhham, CTO, NanoTerraTech
“This project bridges advanced materials science with clean technology development. It’s a powerful demonstration of how interdisciplinary research can deliver practical solutions that advance both sustainability and energy innovation.”
– Lukas Bichler, Professor at UBC Okanagan
