Burying nuclear waste in deep repositories is not only a hugely expensive process, but also a politically difficult one. A new way to speed up radioactive decay has been discovered by a group of scientists. And, this could render nuclear waste harmlessly on timescales of just a few tens of years!
Their proposed technique involves slashing the half-life of an alpha emitter by embedding it in a metal and cooling the later to a few degrees Kelvin. Therefore, this technique could avoid the need to bury nuclear waste in deep repositories, hence, making it hugely economic.
Via: Physicsweb
