Could nuclear be saved by a molecular Venus Flytrap?

Venus Flytrap Molecule

Nuclear power is the Catch 22 of the energy industry. On the one hand it presents a great opportunity for meeting consumption needs whilst emitting no harmful substance like sulphur and carbon dioxide, but the other nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste that can remain harmful for thousands of years.

Environmentalists are never likely to warm to nuclear power for this reason, but its importance as a transition fuel cannot be ignored and it remains a highly valuable source of power for many countries, the US in particular: "I believe in nuclear power as a central part of our energy mix," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said last year.

That's why recent developments at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois could prove extremely significant for the future of the US energy industry.

Captures water-borne nuclear waste

Researchers have discovered that the molecular equivalent of a Venus flytrap could capture water-borne nuclear waste.

Northwestern University scientists say they've created a material that can trap 100 percent of the radioactive ion cesium, while ignoring harmless ions such as sodium. Researchers led by Professor Mercouri Kanatzidis said their synthetic material is made from layers of a gallium, sulfur and antimony compound.

They said it has been extremely successful in removing cesium - found in nuclear waste, but very difficult to get rid of - from a sodium-heavy solution that consisted of concentrations similar to those found in real liquid nuclear waste.

"Ideally we want to concentrate the radioactive material so it can be dealt with properly and the non-radioactive water thrown away," Kanatzidis said, adding the new material could lead to a much-needed breakthrough in nuclear waste remediation.

The "Venus flytrap molecule"

The "Venus Flytrap Molecule" is triggered only by its desired prey, cesium, causing it to snap shut its pores thus trapping the cesium ions like an unsuspecting fly in the Venus plant itself.

Capturing cesium in large quantities makes it far easier to clean up. Dr Kanatzidis says that once caesium is collected in this new material, it can be processed very easily because it is highly concentrated and is transportable, "usually the next step is vitrification," he said.

"You melt everything, convert everything into a glass which can be disposed of properly according to the guidelines set by the government."

Unfortunately one of the process's key ingredients is extremely expensive making it very difficult at present to put the newly developed material into production, but Dr Kanatzidis believes it won't be too long before his team develop a more cost-effective alternative.

The results are published online by the journal Nature Chemistry.

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