Nuclear power provides 60% of Ontario electricity and is an important low-carbon energy supply. While it is greenhouse gas-free, “used nuclear fuel” is a hazardous waste that requires careful management. Recognizing that the waste must be isolated from people and the environment for upwards of 1 million years, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is developing and implementing a strategy for its safe, permanent disposal.
Even though the deep geological repository will be nowhere near an ocean, seeing how these two elements of the NWMO’s engineered-barrier system – copper and bentonite clay – stand up to harsh oceanic conditions provides insight into how they will behave at depth in the repository. The coins, after spending months under the heavy ocean waters, have now been sent to research partners at the University of Waterloo and the University of Western Ontario. They will be tested to see how well bentonite clay protected the copper from any microbial activity and other possible corrosive effects.