pqr Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/12/1800-year-old-shipwreck-holds-key-to-radioactive-waste/ Fascinating article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I like the article, but I fail to see how decomposition of glass that does not contain radioactive waste can be all that relevant to the Hanford situation. The only way they can test how that sort of material will react with glass over long periods of time is to put the two together and try it - a risky thing to do on a large scale.... Looking at how glass reacts when not in contact with radioactive material may be an entirely different thing than how it will react when filled with radioactive waste.... How can they know that the waste won't change the molecular composition of the glass in such a way that breakdown and leakage will be allowed? Hanford is a very scarey situation. Glass is a slow liquid that flows over time, resulting in weakened areas that could allow for leakage/breakage. I don't know that any type of glass has been created that doesn't do this over time. The idea of glass to contain the sort of dangerous waste present at Hanford doesn't sit well with me at all. Of course, it might be better than the nothing in use now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Is the waste at Hanford plutonium-239? Which has a half life of around 24,000 years? That's a bit more than 1800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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