US seeks waste-research revival

Tollefson, Jeff

doi:10.1038/507015a

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Recent articles in Science (Cornwall 2015) and Nature (Tollefson 2014) highlight the growing interest in deep borehole disposal of nuclear waste -and with good reason. Deep borehole disposal has many attractive features -robust isolation from the biosphere, low cost, speed of implementation, and modularity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep borehole disposal of nuclear waste

Brady

Freeze

Kuhlman

et al. 2017

Geological Repository Systems for Safe Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuels and Radioactive Waste

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Radioactive waste disposal in deep boreholes may be more "ready" than disposal in mined geologic repositories since mankind has greater experience operating small deep holes -boreholes, than big shallow holes -mines. There are several thousand precedents for constructing > 2 km deep boreholes and several hundred precedents for disposing long-lived wastes in boreholes. Borehole disposal is likely to be faster, cheaper, and more flexible than mined disposal, while also offering greater long-term isolation. Isolation would rely on the great depth, water density gradients, and reducing conditions to prevent vertical movement of waste up the borehole.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep borehole disposal of nuclear waste

Brady

Freeze

Kuhlman

et al. 2017

Geological Repository Systems for Safe Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuels and Radioactive Waste

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Current perspectives on nuclear energy as a global climate change mitigation option

Siqueira

Meystre

Hilário

et al. 2018

Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change

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Mechanical environmental transport of actinides and 137Cs from an arid radioactive waste disposal site

Snow

Clark

Morrison

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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Aeolian and pluvial processes represent important mechanisms for the movement of actinides and fission products at the Earth's surface. Soil samples taken in the early 1970's near a Department of Energy radioactive waste disposal site (the Subsurface Disposal Area, SDA, located in southeastern Idaho) provide a case study for studying the mechanisms and characteristics of environmental actinide and (137)Cs transport in an arid environment. Multi-component mixing models suggest actinide contamination within 2.5 km of the SDA can be described by mixing between 2 distinct SDA end members and regional nuclear weapons fallout. The absence of chemical fractionation between (241)Am and (239+240)Pu with depth for samples beyond the northeastern corner and lack of (241)Am in-growth over time (due to (241)Pu decay) suggest mechanical transport and mixing of discrete contaminated particles under arid conditions. Occasional samples northeast of the SDA (the direction of the prevailing winds) contain anomalously high concentrations of Pu with (240)Pu/(239)Pu isotopic ratios statistically identical to those in the northeastern corner. Taken together, these data suggest flooding resulted in mechanical transport of contaminated particles into the area between the SDA and a flood containment dike in the northeastern corner, following which subsequent contamination spreading in the northeastern direction resulted from wind transport of discrete particles.

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US seeks waste-research revival

Abstract: Radioactive leak brings nuclear repositories into the spotlight. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's salt beds hold radioactive materials from US nuclear-weapons labs.

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Deep borehole disposal of nuclear waste

Deep borehole disposal of nuclear waste

Current perspectives on nuclear energy as a global climate change mitigation option

Mechanical environmental transport of actinides and 137Cs from an arid radioactive waste disposal site

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