Keeping the lights on with nuclear waste

The world has been enriching uranium for many decades, primarily beginning in the Cold War era. As a result, there are stockpiles of depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF6), or nuclear waste. 

Long feared as a (bio)hazardous hot potato, the waste — if treated — could be part of the solution to future-proofing the Southwest’s power grid.

“It’s particularly nasty stuff that sits in containers above ground. And if you come into contact with it, you could die,” said David Hatchett, Vice President of Research and professor of radiochemistry at UNLV. “That’s where we come in as a university: we can work with that material. And we were asked if we could make it safe.”

Over the past 25 years, Hatchett’s lab on UNLV’s campus has grown to become a national leader in the complex field of electrochemistry, including projects focused on the successful recovery and recycling of strategic materials, including rare earth metals and lithium. Seeing this, the U.S. Department of Energy approached Hatchett and UNLV about the possibility of applying its patented techniques to make UF6 safe. Not only did his team accomplish that feat, it went a step further.

“We don’t just make it safe, we actually recover the material for future use,” said Hatchett. “Rather than mining our way into more materials and damaging the environment, we can reuse what we already have sitting there in high abundance.”

And there is plenty of nuclear waste to go around. Hatchett says there are 1.2 million metric tons globally, with 700,000 metric tons in the U.S. alone (that’s about 1.5 billion pounds). Converting this waste into useful material at an industrial scale stands to revolutionize the future sustainability of the region.

“In a place like Las Vegas, for example, we can have solar energy while the sun’s on,” he said. “But what do we do at night? If water is an issue for hydroelectric power at the Hoover Dam, how are we going to produce all of the energy we need? Nuclear can provide stable, high-density power for things like data centers, AI, and other industries needing reliable energy.”

Next Steps of Nuclear

Interest in nuclear power is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. The industry is seeing some forward momentum with the successful deployment of Vogtle Units 3 & 4 in Georgia, and more utility operators are investigating involvement.

The natural tendency may be to think of the traditional large-scale towers with steam coming out of the top, perhaps reminiscent of those seen in "The Simpsons." But the future is much smaller. The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $900 million in assistance to support the construction of small modular reactors in the country. This is an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on overseas markets for critical materials.

“They can power a city very easily,” said Hatchett. “Small modular reactors are basically what power our Navy – they’re tried and true. They’re much smaller than old-school reactors, not apt to go critical, and provide a more reliable source of energy than what we’re accustomed to.”

Microsoft is another example of nuclear power regaining steam, with its recent investment into the Three-Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. Big tech companies have increased demand for electricity to power data centers, which are responsible for cloud computing and AI technologies. 

“How is Nevada going to diversify our economy beyond mining and gaming if we don’t have the energy density to support that?” he said. “In terms of corporate relocation, nuclear power could provide options that we don’t currently have. We could provide stable energy and new opportunities with the nuclear waste that’s been sitting around for 50-plus years.”

Nevada is not currently investing in nuclear, though its neighbors are. Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah are each looking into ways to tap into nuclear energy.

“Nobody recovers uranium from UF6. This is all new,” said Hatchett. “If we start processing materials like this in the U.S., those are jobs.”

The UNLV Difference

Private contractor Urenco, a key player in managing the nation’s nuclear waste, provides UNLV with access to UF6 for research. The collaboration is mutually beneficial, providing UNLV with access to the contents and paths to material safety and recovery.  

UNLV is one of the few universities licensed to work with radioactive materials, and the only with access to UF6. Its radiochemistry program ranks among the nation’s best, thanks to hands-on training with radioactive elements and state-of-the-art facilities. The program blends advanced research in the nuclear fuel cycle, forensics, and fundamental chemistry with rigorous education, preparing students for vital roles in national labs.

A member of Hatchett’s team who embodies this message is Renee Olney. She’s a graduate research assistant in the radiochemistry program, directly responsible for making the nuclear waste safe, stable, and usable.

“We make UF6 safer to handle by converting it to a more stable uranium product,” said Olney. “And overall, make it a more reusable and safer product in the end.”

She has been in the program for three years, and has multiple publications in the pipeline. The environmental aspect inspires her, as she’s able to combine the recycling of hazardous waste with chemistry, and plans to conduct this work throughout her career.

“This waste processing has never been looked at before, and it’s awesome to be part of a brand-new area of research,” she said. “Even though uranium is one of the most highly-studied elements in the periodic table, no one has really done what I’m doing yet, and that’s really exciting.”

Recognizing both its environmentalism and sustainability potential, the Office of Economic Development has handled the university’s patents and technology from the work with UF6. There is an ongoing, working relationship with Hatchett’s team, as it helps push this work across the finish line for real, practical use.

“Our economic development team is the mechanism to connect university innovators with industry and entrepreneurs who can apply UNLV research in ways that will change lives for the better,” said Zach Miles, senior associate vice president for UNLV’s Office of Economic Development. “The work happening in laboratories throughout UNLV has the potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges, and it’s gratifying to work with innovators like Prof. Hatchett to bring new, bold ideas to life.” 

And that day is closer than ever, as Hatchett envisions a real difference-maker in the years ahead.

“Whenever we can recover useful materials from waste, that is a positive step forward,” said Hatchett. “It’s in our best interest to ask, ‘How do we utilize what’s in front of us in order to prepare and shape the industries that aren’t here yet?’”