New radioactive waste storage material

2000/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

A strange metal oxide can be the solution to problems arising from the long-term conservation of nuclear waste. That's what the team of American, British and Japanese researchers say at least.

Until now synthetic materials have been used in stone and glass to store high-radioactive waste, but the persistence of radioactivity of waste is much greater than that of packaging materials, so a serious problem arises. However, tests with vertebra oxide and zirconium (Er2Z-2O7) have yielded good results by supporting the bombardment of xenon gas with effects similar to those of high radioactivity. Its atomic structure is disordered and seems to allow it to absorb radiation without damage.

They have also used vertigo oxide and titanium (Er2Ti2O7) for testing. Its atomic structure is ordered and considered quite damaged. However, they are cheaper tasks and can last tens of thousands of years, so the research team believes they can be suitable for storing waste.