Plutonium's unusual interactions with clay may minimize leakage of nuclear waste

Plutonium's unusual interactions with clay may minimize leakage of nuclear waste
Nashville TN (SPX) Nov 07, 2011 - As a first line of defense, steel barrels buried deep underground are designed to keep dangerous plutonium waste from seeping into the soil and surrounding bedrock, and, eventually, contaminating the groundwater. But after several thousand years, those barrels will naturally begin to disintegrate due to corrosion. A team of scientists at Argonne National Lab (ANL) in Argonne, Ill., has determine ... more