Filtering radioactive elements from water

Membrane massively reduces volumes of waste

01-Oct-2020 - The nuclear accident in Fukushima remains etched into people's memories. It was a catastrophe that caused huge amounts of radioactively contaminated water to be released, which the operators of the nuclear power plant subsequently had to clean up. One of the methods they used was reverse osmosis ...

How to combat radiological weapons

Safety assistance system warns of dirty bombs

04-Sep-2017 - The threat of terrorism in Europe has been on the rise in recent years, with experts and politicians particularly worried that terrorists might make use of dirty bombs. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a new system that will be able to detect possible carriers of radioactive substances, even ...

Improved remote detection of hazardous radioactive substances

14-Jun-2017 - A recent study, affiliated with UNIST has introduced a method for the remote detection of hazardous radioactive substances. With the help of this newly-developed detection device, the detection of various types of radioactive materials can be done from a remote distance. In their study Professor ...

Automated measurement system enhances quality, reduces handling in Pu-238 production

06-Mar-2017 - Under a collaborative partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Energy, a new automated measurement system developed at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory will ensure quality production of plutonium-238 while reducing handling by workers. NASA ...

Breakthrough offers greater understanding of safe radioactive waste disposal

22-Nov-2016 - A group of scientists from The University of Manchester, the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and the UK's synchrotron science facility, Diamond Light Source, has completed research into radioactively contaminated material to gain further understanding around the issue, crucial for the safe and ...

Radioactive cesium concentrates in glass particles

Fukushima fallout in Tokyo not water or rain solulable

27-Jun-2016 - New research shows that most of the radioactive fallout which landed on downtown Tokyo a few days after the Fukushima accident was concentrated and deposited in non-soluble glass microparticles, as a type of 'glassy soot'. This meant that most of the radioactive material was not dissolved in rain ...

Radioactive isotopes reveal age of oil and gas wastewater spills

12-May-2016 - Spills from oil and gas operations can contaminate local water and soil with high levels of toxic chemicals, salts and radioactivity, but in many cases there is insufficient information to determine how long ago the spill occurred and identify its source. A trio of new age-dating methods ...

New explosion gas-signature models can help locate and identify underground nuclear tests

18-Mar-2016 - Through experiments and computer models of gas releases, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have simulated signatures of gases from underground nuclear explosions (UNEs) that may be carried by winds far from the detonation. The work will help international inspectors locate and ...

ORNL achieves milestone with plutonium-238 sample

24-Dec-2015 - With the production of 50 grams of plutonium-238, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have restored a U.S. capability dormant for nearly 30 years and set the course to provide power for NASA and other missions. Plutonium-238 produces heat as it decays and can ...

X-ray vision? Laser-derived X-ray method finds hidden nuclear materials

23-Dec-2015 - Physicists at the Diocles Extreme Light Laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have demonstrated that their unconventional laser-based X-ray machine could provide a new defense against nuclear terrorism. In proof-of-principle experiments, the UNL scientists used the laser-driven X-ray ...