Green sludge can protect groundwater from radioactive contamination
Thursday, March 17, 2011 - 14:50
in Earth & Climate
Radioactive waste decaying down at the dump needs millions of years to stabilise. The element Neptunium, a waste product from uranium reactors, could pose an especially serious health risk should it ever seep its way into groundwater - even 5 million years after its deposition. Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have shown the hazardous waste can be captured and contained. The means? A particular kind of green goop that occurs naturally in oxygen-poor water...