Advanced Polymer Composite for Radioactive Waste Containment

Abstract

In 2009, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) was launched as a step into providing clean, safe and efficient nuclear energy in the UAE. As oil reserves decline, ENEC aims to satisfy about 25% of the energy demand of the UAE by 2020. For this purpose, initial drilling for the set-up of four nuclear reactors in Barakah, a site west of Abu Dhabi, was started in 2010. However, nuclear energy brings along with it the problem of nuclear waste and with current methods of nuclear waste disposal in geological facilities being expensive, and in some cases, leakage of radioactivity from these disposal facilities was recorded. An alternative cheap, safe, and efficient waste disposal facility is required to to ensure the stability of energy generation, a to ensure the safety of the environments.