On 26/09/14 16:51, Nick wrote:
On 26/09/2014 10:47, Tim Streater wrote:

As glass is quite stable and is not likely to be eroded or damaged
until the planet melts in 500 million years time, it could just be left
to itself. The obvious answer is indeed to put it in an ocean trench,
where over aeons it will be subducted into the mantle, to join all the
other radioactive material that's already there.


I won't claim to know my arse from my elbow but I thought a lot of this
waste contained valuable metals. Wouldn't it be better to store it so
that it is retrievable for a time we may be able to process them
effectively.


well that's for reprocessed fuels. They are worth keeping, but there are
some medium to long term transuranics and unstable isotopes that are not
much use really and in pretty small quantities. Just enough to give
harry dhobi-itch, that's all.

At the moment glassification is the best way, or they might be burnt in
a special purpose reactor. Not a lot of energy in the fission though so
less a fuel than a sort of damp cardboard.


e.g. Gasification and stored in underground caverns in granite or such like.



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