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Research at the University of Bristol's Interface Analysis Centre has been used to make storage of uranium and uranium carbide safer.
Our research into uranium corrosion has been used to predict the state of uranium present in `intolerable' legacy wastes at Sellafield and has shaped the way that Sellafield Ltd intends to safely recover and repackage it for prolonged storage. Our research has also similarly influenced the operations of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in relation to improving the safety of stored materials. Our research has also been used to implement treatment processes for uranium carbide wastes arising at CERN.
The School of Chemistry has a long track record of pioneering and innovative outreach activities aimed at stimulating public interest and understanding in chemistry research and its societal impact. During the period 2008-2013 it successfully communicated to a wide-ranging audience the significance of a series of "firsts" in the areas of nanoscience and materials for energy applications. Using YouTube, Royal Society Summer Science Exhibitions, roadshows and science festivals, this award-winning approach has engaged hundreds of thousands through digital media and thousands more face-to-face, raising public awareness, inspiring interest in science and delivering educational benefits for students and teachers alike.
Professor Parrish at Leicester developed a unique high sensitivity urine, soil and particle isotope assay for detection of DU pollution and applied this to Gulf War veterans to quantify exposure to DU munitions. None of the Gulf War veterans tested in a UK MoD study had detectable DU; this allowed the UK government to conclude that DU exposure was limited, and that the harm to veterans was small, although residual environmental issues of chronic exposure have yet to be quantified. The test was also applied to munitions' factory workers and nearby residents, and allowed the exposure to DU to be quantified in individuals and environmental materials. This latter study gave rise to a $0.5M exposure and health study near by the New York State Dept. of Health to better assess the health impacts of DU aerosol exposure.
The research groups of Professor Laurence Harwood and Dr Michael Hudson (now retired) at the University of Reading have developed new and highly selective extractants for spent and reprocessed nuclear fuels. These novel extractants remove specifically the components in nuclear waste that have the highest levels of long-term radioactivity. The extracted components (minor actinides) may subsequently be converted — "transmuted" — into elements with greatly reduced radioactivity. Storage times for high-level nuclear waste can thus be reduced by a factor of a thousand, typically from 300,000 to 300 years. This significant advance in the management of nuclear waste means that next-generation nuclear power production will be safer, more economical and more sustainable, as well as increasing the wider acceptance of nuclear power as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. The newly-developed extractants are now available commercially through TechnoComm Ltd.
University of Huddersfield research into the microbial production and metabolism of polysaccharides has had a significant impact in two distinct areas. In the food and health care industry it has driven developments in the use of bacterial starter cultures, leading to the adoption of new techniques to produce fermented products with proven functionality. In the policy arena, in modelling gas production by microorganisms, it has made a major contribution to the safety case for the disposal of nuclear waste, highlighting the economic and environmental benefits of underground storage. In each instance the reach of the research's impact has been international with the biggest beneficiaries residing in Europe and North America.
Research at Loughborough University during the REF period (and extending back at least three decades beyond that) has had a significant impact on national and international policy decisions governing the management of radioactive waste, one of the Grand Challenges facing society. The Unit's research ranges from deep geological disposal to abatement of marine discharges and remediation strategies for industrial radioactive waste, the latter safeguarding the competitiveness of the oil & gas and mineral processing sectors. This input has been crucial for revising the new Environmental Permitting Regulations and International Basic Safety Standards. Many of the Unit's doctoral graduates occupy important decision-making roles at key organisations such as the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Sellafield, Environment Agency, CEA (France) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Through strategic national roles Grimes and Lee have had a major impact on the expansion of the UKs nuclear R&D programme since 2000 and on directing Government policy in the nuclear sector. Their research led directly to appointments to influential positions including (Grimes) as Specialist Advisor Nuclear to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee (HoLSTC) for their report on Nuclear R&D Capabilities and (Lee) as Deputy Chair of the Government Advisory Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), which has a major scrutiny and advice role to Government's £multi-billion Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) programme reporting directly to the Energy Minister. Due to his unique insight in nuclear engineering Grimes is now Chief Scientific Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
This case study focuses on the use of hydrogen in a range of applications, developing the following techniques:
Demonstrating impact in the commercial application of the techniques in the energy, environment and chemical industries; resulting in commercially viable processes and products, generating economic benefit.