The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has given $38 million in funding to 12 projects focused on developing technologies to recycle fuel generated from nuclear power reactors.
The proposals include separating used nuclear fuel components to reduce waste, developing safeguards for recycling facilities, and creating fuel feedstock, ARPA-E said Friday.
Argonne National Laboratory received $6.4 million for two processing techniques: one that uses next-generation anode materials to convert 97 percent of UNF oxide to metal and the other involving compact rotating packed bed contactors to reprocess UNF.
The other awardees are:
- Curio
- EPRI
- GE Research
- Idaho National Laboratory
- Mainstream Engineering
- NuVision Engineering
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University of Colorado, Boulder
- University of North Texas
- University of Utah
“The Biden-Harris Administration and DOE recognize the importance of developing practical uses for America’s used nuclear fuel,” DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm said.