Cement holds safe nuclear waste for 100,000 years

A group of British scientists are working on cement that can withstand the harmful effects of nuclear waste for thousands of years.

The team at the UK's Diamond Light Source says the project is of particular importance in the context of the UK's quest to expand its nuclear industry.

Researchers believe that the new material has the potential to reduce radioactivity by 50% better than current storage methods. The UK is choosing to bury around 300,000 cubic meters of radioactive wastes by 2030, the International Business Times reported today.

Nuclear waste is transported by train to the treatment area. (Photo: Reuters)

Part of the plan is the Geological Waste Burial Facility (GDF) , where radioactive waste is mixed with cement and buried deep underground. However, before finding out the location, the government should ensure that radioactive waste is kept safe for at least 100,000 years.

Dr. Claire Corkhill from the University of Sheffield, UK, uses Diamond Longevity Lab (LDE) to study how cement reacts with water during hydration for hundreds of years. After two years of experimenting, the team found a new type of cement containing minerals that could absorb elements with high radioactivity.

"We hope the results will impact the GDF design and help improve the facility's safety in the long run," Corkhill said.

Safe nuclear waste storage becomes an important issue as nearly 11% of the world's electricity is produced from nuclear power plants. Britain has announced plans to build several nuclear power plants in the next decade to eliminate fossil-fuel power generation such as gas, coal and oil.