en.Wedoany.com Report on Mar 27th, US nuclear waste disposal company Deep Isolation recently announced key conclusions from its federally funded research: Deep Borehole Disposal technology can be a viable solution for managing high-level waste generated from advanced reactor fuel recycling, with long-term safety far exceeding expectations.

Modeling shows that after such waste is disposed of in specific geological formations using their borehole system, radiation exposure levels can be several orders of magnitude lower than stringent dose standards.

This research is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's ONWARDS program. Deep Isolation collaborated with advanced reactor developer Oklo and national laboratories within a commercial-scale electrorefining facility project to specifically validate the compatibility of unrecyclable waste streams with deep borehole repositories. The study confirmed that nuclear waste streams processed via electrorefining are suitable for deep borehole disposal, offering a potential technical pathway to "close" the metal fuel cycle. However, its large-scale application still requires U.S. legal authorization for using deep boreholes for high-level waste disposal.

The deep borehole disposal concept originated in the 1950s. Deep Isolation's patented technology utilizes mature oil and gas drilling processes to encapsulate waste in corrosion-resistant canisters, placing them permanently in geologically stable layers several kilometers deep. Its universal canister system can accommodate various advanced reactor waste forms, including vitrified waste, TRISO fuel, and molten salt reactor halide salts.

These research findings provide crucial support for Deep Isolation's full-scale deep borehole demonstration plan. This plan aims to validate the technology in the field, marking a significant step from research validation towards engineering demonstration and laying the groundwork for sustainable waste management solutions for future nuclear energy systems.