Gallery: Kurion, Inc. Turns Nuclear Waste Into Glass for Safer
Long-Ter...   Photo via Shutterstock  One of the greatest
challenges facing the nuclear power industry is the question of
what to do with the dangerous radioactive waste it creates.
California-based Kurion, Inc. proposes “vitirification”, or the
process of turning waste into glass. Preferable to storing
liquid material in tanks which can leak, the glass stabilizes
the toxic byproducts and makes it easier and safer to store.
Kurion, Inc. is a start-up that was founded in October, 2008
with the mission to provide a more flexible, and low cost method
of converting nuclear waste into glass. Using a two-phase
process, the waste is filtered through “ion specific media” that
segregates toxic material that can then be melted down. Through
their GeoMelt and Modular Vitrification System applications, the
filtered liquid is trapped in a glass matrix. The resulting
glass is leach-resistant, and minimizes the risk of dangerous
ions with long half lives making