Five Belgian companies create CYCLADE

While the first facilities date back more than 30 years, it is estimated that approximately 200 medical cyclotron facilities worldwide are awaiting dismantling by 2040. This is equivalent to processing 18,000 tons of steel and other metals in the most sustainable way possible. Five Belgian companies (IBA, Interboring, IRE, SCK CEN and Transrad) - specialists in dismantling and nuclear medicine - are joining forces for this purpose. Under the name "CYCLADE" (CYCLotrons Advanced DEcommissioning), this grouping offers operators a circular solution for increasing the amount of waste recycled. 

CYCLADE brings together the expertise and synergies of the five partners in order to meet the needs of sites wishing to decommission or dismantle an existing accelerator and its associated facilities, including cyclotrons. This consortium is a combination of industrial companies, SMEs and research centres offering a turnkey decommissioning solution from the study phases to the final management of materials. 

This initiative is necessary because the era of nuclear decommissioning and dismantling is upon us. Most of the first accelerators installed in the medical field 30-40 years ago are now reaching the end of their life span. There are an estimated 50 decommissioning projects by 2030 and 200 by 2040. "And it doesn't stop there. In 2021, the global medical cyclotron market reached a value of $192.6 million. This figure is expected to rise to $323 million by 2027, showing that the demand for decommissioning is far from reaching its peak," says Guido Mulier, Senior Business Development Manager at SCK CEN. 

Medical accelerator operators are forced to decommission and dismantle their cyclotrons because older equipment cannot always be upgraded. Some components or the entire machine are simply too old. A decommissioning operation in a radioactive environment is no small task in itself, but in a medical environment it is even more complex. "There are many constraints associated with the operation of a building where patients are treated, such as a hospital. Add to this the still open questions about the optimal recycling of all decommissioned materials, and you have a huge challenge," explains Gilles Degauque, General Manager of Transrad. 

CYCLADE ensures that the operator is not alone. It offers a comprehensive circular solution for the dismantling of accelerators/cyclotrons and their concrete bunkers: from an environmentally and economically sound strategy to the appropriate administrative workflow. From the safety of dismantling work and nuclear transport. And all this with the aim of finding the optimal solutions in order to reduce radioactive and conventional waste. 

A special feature of this partnership is that the decommissioning/dismantling processes to be implemented will determine the design of future cyclotrons. By combining the strengths of all the partners, the design of future devices can be optimised so that future decommissioning is more efficient and less costly. "In addition, we are looking together for better dismantling techniques, for example by testing whether we can recycle radioactive materials with melting furnaces," Guido Mulier adds. 

Grégory Delécaut, head of the IRE Lab department, comments: "The CYCLADE consortium offers a solution to the unprecedented challenge of dismantling cyclotrons. It benefits from the wide range of know-how and the unique consolidated experience of a consortium of world-renowned Belgian organisations."  

Jos Spilstijns, CEO of Interboring, adds: "The collaboration between the five partners creates a one-stop shop for the market looking for an integrated solution for the dismantling of cyclotrons and other particle accelerators." 

 "IBA's participation in the CYCLADE consortium reflects our commitment to take into account systematically the consequences for societies of our activities and the interests of all our stakeholders (patients, shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, the community, the planet, etc.)," explains Olivier Legrain, IBA CEO. "Integrating the issue of dismantling and waste management into the very design of our accelerators is part of this approach, which is formalised in our B Corp certification."