The U.S. Department of Energy announced March 15 it will be providing $48 million in funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and the Converting UNF Radioisotopes Into Energy (CURIE) programs.
The program focuses on reducing the impact of disposal of used nuclear fuel, which can reportedly be an extreme biohazard. It also will go toward supporting a strategy to safely dispose of waste resulting from nuclear fuel and nuclear activities, the ARPA-E reported in a March 15 news release.
“CURIE will fuel advanced reactors and provide important clean energy elements, all while drastically reducing waste," Jennifer Gerbi, ARPA-E acting director, said. "With this new program, we’re emphasizing safeguards and lowered costs as we provide clean energy technology options for the future."
ARPA-E reported the CURIE program seeks to develop innovative separations, online monitoring and materials accountancy technologies to support the domestic production of AR fuel feedstocks or important commercial radioisotopes and critical minerals.
As the prospect of becoming more reliant on nuclear energy once again enters the court of public opinion, one of the main obstacles preventing it from becoming more popular and supported is the damage that can be caused by waste resulting from nuclear energy, if not handles properly, according to the news release.
The ARPA-E reported the funding will go a long way in supporting the study of ways to safely dispose of this hazardous material. The funding "aims to support system design studies related to fuel recycling, separations technologies with improved proliferation resistance and minimization of waste volumes."
