Two projects developing new nuclear fuel transmutation technologies received $10 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.
Both of these projects are led by researchers at the DOE's Argonne National Laboratory. The funds come from the Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimized Now program, which is working toward economically viable conversions of used nuclear fuel in the U.S., according to ANL.
The "Liquid Lead Suspended Fuel Subcritical Fission Blanket for Nuclear Waste Transmutation," led by senior nuclear engineer and manager Taek K. Kim, received $7 million. The second project, "Nb3Sn Proton Driver Linac for Accelerator Driven Systems," is led by Michael Kelly, an accelerator physicist in Argonne's Physical Science and Engineering directorate.
The former focuses on a revolutionary transmutation process that utilizes centrifugal force to remove waste byproducts during the fission process. Nuclear fission occurs when an atom's nucleus is split, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. The project could reduce the nation's nuclear fuel mass substantially within 30 years.
Kim explained, "This method uses physics-based separation instead of conventional chemical separations such as PUREX, making it a separation technology that is more secure and more difficult to use for nefarious purposes."
The second project aims to create advanced superconducting cavities used in particle accelerators. Using a high-power proton beam to start nuclear generation, they can convert radioactive waste into safer isotopes, building a compact, cost-effective, and efficient proton accelerator.
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This fission energy could transform society for the better by replacing traditional energy sources, such as oil, gas, and coal. Creating nuclear energy doesn't release the planet-warming emissions that burning oil and gas do. Nuclear fission energy can also be cheaper, making energy more affordable for everyone.
Replacing gas energy with nuclear fission energy would create jobs, boost economies, lower utility bills, and make the Earth healthier for everyone. It would reduce the harmful emissions, making the air cleaner. It could also reduce water and soil pollution, thereby supporting food and water security, as well as healthy wildlife ecosystems.
That said, nuclear fission energy is not without some downsides, such as radioactive nuclear waste, albeit in small amounts, and wastewater that all must be handled carefully. At times, nuclear facilities have been called out for discharging or force-evaporation of wastewater that was allegedly not through its half life with radioactive tritium, though proponents argue that the health and environmental risks from fossil fuels — especially coal — greatly outweigh those of nuclear.
While renewable sources such as solar and wind are faster and cheaper to roll out and carry far fewer downsides, these two nuclear fission projects could develop new methods to manage the country's nuclear waste, making it safer, cheaper, and more efficient than nuclear's status quo. Improving nuclear fission technology can ultimately be part of the solution toward cooling the planet through reducing the volume of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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Temitope Taiwo, director of Nuclear Science and Engineering at Argonne, said, "We are incredibly proud of this planned transformational work in nuclear waste transmutation … The innovative approach positions Argonne at the forefront of sustainable nuclear technology solutions."
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