Israel has developed a new technology that is supposed to safely dispose of radioactive waste.
The system was developed by Environmental Energy Resources (EER), an Israeli company that helped clean up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and is based on plasma gasification melting (PMG) technology. The toxic waste is turned into a highly ionized gas, broken down, solidified, melted and vitrified - forming a solid glassy environmentally benign material when cooled.
The process was developed together with scientists from Haifa’s Technion and the Russian research institute of Kurchatov in Moscow. According to EER, the facility turns radioactive medical and municipal waste into harmless solid substances at a low level of radiation, which leaves no pollution in the soil or water – both above and below ground.
EER says the process is economically and environmentally superior to all other waste disposal methods such as landfill and incineration, as well as other non-incineration thermal treatments.
The end products of the process can be used to power generators and in the construction industry as non-leeching molds to form tiles and blocks.
A demonstration of the process, set for Thursday, will not involve actual radioactive material, the company said. Representatives from the United States, Russian, Japan and South Korea are in Israel to attend.
The system was developed by Environmental Energy Resources (EER), an Israeli company that helped clean up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and is based on plasma gasification melting (PMG) technology. The toxic waste is turned into a highly ionized gas, broken down, solidified, melted and vitrified - forming a solid glassy environmentally benign material when cooled.
The process was developed together with scientists from Haifa’s Technion and the Russian research institute of Kurchatov in Moscow. According to EER, the facility turns radioactive medical and municipal waste into harmless solid substances at a low level of radiation, which leaves no pollution in the soil or water – both above and below ground.
EER says the process is economically and environmentally superior to all other waste disposal methods such as landfill and incineration, as well as other non-incineration thermal treatments.
The end products of the process can be used to power generators and in the construction industry as non-leeching molds to form tiles and blocks.
A demonstration of the process, set for Thursday, will not involve actual radioactive material, the company said. Representatives from the United States, Russian, Japan and South Korea are in Israel to attend.