Texas A&M researchers have been awarded $5.4 million in federal money to study whether used nuclear fuel can be recycled into new reactor fuel, according to a university news release. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly announced the Department of Energy grant Thursday during a visit to the campus. The award goes to the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
The project, "Turning Nuclear Waste into Fuel with a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor," is led by Dr. Lin Shao, a professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering. Savannah River National Laboratory and industry partner Natura Resources are also involved. Danly said the grant is part of $50 million going to universities nationwide for nuclear fuel research, and said Texas A&M "was one of the best applications."
Danly said used nuclear fuel has long been seen as a liability, but recycling changes that, and that it still holds 98% of its useful value. Robert Bishop, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering, said the research could reduce the need for long-term storage. Bishop said funding starts in a couple of months for the three-year project and that the grant pays for research, not for generating power for the grid.
Anthony Cecchini, a nuclear engineering Ph.D. student at Texas A&M, said France has been recycling nuclear fuel for about 50 to 60 years, while the U.S. has not built that capability. He said it will take years of research to determine whether the approach works.