The problem of nuclear waste seems to be solved by some UK scientists.
They come up with a practical study that uses nuclear waste to obtain an energy source, transforming radioactive gas into artificial diamonds. Diamonds generate electricity and can be sources of energy for hundreds of years due to the long life of the radioactive substances from which they are made.
There are no moving parts involved, no emissions generated, and no maintenance required, just direct electricity generation,”
By encapsulating radioactive material inside diamonds, we turn a long-term problem of nuclear waste into a nuclear-powered battery and a long-term supply of clean energy.
~ geochemist Tom Scott From the University of Bristol in the UK.
Practical studies propose that graphite blocks (classified as nuclear waste) instead of being buried, be transformed into diamonds that generate electricity.
To obtain these batteries, graphite blocks are heated, and carbon-14 gas is collected and later transformed into diamonds with the help of very high temperatures and low pressures. When they are formed, the beta particles emitted by C14 interact with the crystal, producing electricity.
These radioactive diamonds are covered with another protective layer, so people will not be exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation.
Carbon-14 was chosen as a source material because it emits a short-range radiation, which is quickly absorbed by any solid material
This would make it dangerous to ingest or touch with your naked skin, but safely held within diamond, no short-range radiation can escape. In fact, diamond is the hardest substance known to man, there is literally nothing we could use that could offer more protection.
