A scientist at Transmutex, a private nuclear fission company, has developed a new method that can reduce nuclear waste radioactivity by up to 80%.
Transmutex Reactor Model. (Photo: Transmutex).
Based in Switzerland, Transmutex’s technology has been evaluated in recent months by Nagra, the country’s nuclear waste management authority, as reported by Interesting Engineering on May 27. True to its name, Transmutex relies on transforming one element into its isotope or another element. Alchemists in the past sought to apply this principle to transform metals into gold. Utilizing a particle accelerator, the research team proposes using a lightweight radioactive element like thorium and transforming it into an isotope of uranium.
The particle accelerator is connected to a nuclear fission plant, where the newly created uranium can be processed immediately. However, unlike the uranium used in current nuclear power plants, this type of uranium does not produce plutonium or other high-level radioactive waste. This groundbreaking technology is the brainchild of Carlo Rubbia, former director-general of the physics laboratory at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Building a particle accelerator near each nuclear power plant can be quite costly. For instance, CERN allocated nearly $5 billion to construct the Large Hadron Collider. Other challenges include opposition to nuclear technology. If the government can be convinced, Transmutex’s technology could save nuclear power plants. Transmutex has called for private investment in the new technology, but Nagra’s assessment also helps to promote the project. According to Nagra, Transmutex’s technology could reduce nuclear waste by 80% and decrease the radioactive decay time to under 500 years. More importantly, the technology can be applied to 99% of current nuclear waste. In terms of operational safety, a nuclear facility utilizing Transmutex’s technology could shut down in just 2 milliseconds.
While the operational safety of fission reactors often receives the most attention, the safety of spent fuel requires more focus. Spent nuclear fuel remains radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years, long after the energy extracted from it has been depleted. At last year’s COP28 conference, 20 countries decided to triple nuclear power output over the next 25 years but have yet to outline long-term storage plans for used fuel. However, as countries ramp up nuclear power production, the demand for such facilities will increase unless breakthrough technologies like Transmutex’s are implemented.
