Uranium compound unearths questions on nuclear waste
By 
Matthew Gunther2020-01-10T09:30:00
Environmental chemists place sub-surface uranium chemistry under the spotlight
Scientists in the UK have unearthed a new uranium compound that may form below ground contaminated with the element. The finding has put plans to bury nuclear waste in the spotlight.
By 2125 the UK’s nuclear waste will exceed 4 million m3 – enough to fill Wembley stadium. From laboratory clothing to reactor parts, various forms of waste contaminated with uranium are often encased in cement and placed within steel drums. All this waste will ultimately reach the same destination – a ‘geological disposal facility’ (GDF).