MIT Study: Cement Great for Storing Spent Reactor Fuel

Cement is a “good choice” for storing spent nuclear fuel, according to a new study by researchers from the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub and a lab of the joint MIT-French National Center for Scientific Research known as the MultiScale Material Science for Energy and Environment. “Because it is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, cement is the material of choice to store large volumes of radioactive materials, in particular the low-level medium-lived fission products,” the study’s abstract states. According to an article published Thursday by MIT News, the study found that cement could effectively store radioactive strontium-90 and its “daughter” elements yttrium and zirconium from its radioactive decay.

 

“This could be highly relevant for improving waste storage conditions in accidental cases, such as the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in March 2011. The study may also have an impact on considerations around the decommissioning of nuclear plants,” the article states. “Knowing now that cement can effectively contain nuclear waste materials may buy researchers enough time to sort out the technology and lead to potential long-term solutions.”

The study’s authors included MIT postdoc Lucile Dezerald, visiting scientist Andres Saul, senior research scientist Roland J.-M. Pellenq, and professor Franz-Josef Ulm.