How do you contain waste that remains hazardous for more than 100,000 years? For decades, the question of what to do with high-level nuclear waste has been put on the back-burner. However, as next generation reactors come online and old ones are retired, the problems of disposal become inevitable. In this episode we investigate the materials challenges of immobilizing and protecting radioactive waste for several millennia.

Articles Discussed:

King, Container materials for the storage and disposal of nuclear waste [LINK]
Kurniawan, Technological solutions for long-term storage of partially used nuclear waste [LINK]
Gin, Long-term Behavior of High-Level Nuclear Waste Glass. Materials Today [LINK]
Robots for Nuclear Waste Cleanup [LINK]

This episode is sponsored by Matmatch. Check out how they can help you find the perfect material for your next engineering project! This episode is also sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.

Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!

If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.

Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-host, co-creator), Andrew Falkowski (co-host, co-creator), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa (editing assistance).

Keywords: nuclear energy, nuclear waste, corrosion

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Episode 52: μ: Storing Nuclear Waste

Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast

Episode 52: μ: Storing Nuclear Waste