Could Californium Solve Nuclear Energy’s Biggest Problem? Obscure Element Can 'Recycle' Radioactive Waste

Storing radioactive waste poses a problem for nuclear power facilities worldwide and often leads to heated debates over the pitfalls of nuclear energy production. Pictured, environmental activists protest with mock nuclear waste barrels in front of the Reichstag in Berlin. In June 2013, the German parliament held a debate about possible locations for a nuclear waste depot.Reuters

The solution to nuclear waste disposal could lie with a little-known element tucked away in a corner of the periodic table. Scientists have found that californium, discovered in the early 1950s, shows potential for storing and even recycling radioactive waste into fuel.  

The biggest obstacle facing nuclear power facilities has long been how to safely dispose of radioactive waste, which can linger for longer than human civilization has existed so far. Storing nuclear leftovers isn’t like sticking table scraps into the garbage; it involves sealing the material in airtight steel or concrete containers where it can slowly break down into less dangerous isotopes. And the process of nuclear decay can take tens of thousands of years. There’s a lot that can go wrong in that time.

According to Florida State University, researchers conducted several experiments using californium and found that the fringe element was extremely resistant to radiation damage. They discovered that the element can bond and separate other materials and even change the structure of the materials stored within it.