In this video, Professor Claire Corkhill goes on a journey to understand where nuclear waste comes from, what it looks like and why we need to do something about it. She explores how nuclear waste is being dealt with in Finland, and what the current UK plans are for disposing the waste in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).
Claire is Professor of Mineralogy and Radioactive Waste Management in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol, and a Member of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM). CoRWM provides independent scrutiny and transparent advice to the UK governments on the long-term management of higher activity radioactive wastes.
With an academic background in both geology and materials science and engineering, Claire has over 10 years of experience in researching radioactive waste degradation in geological environments. She has held research fellowships in both the UK and Japan and leads research efforts at the South West Nuclear Hub towards underpinning the disposal of radioactive wastes in subsurface facilities.
Claire is an enthusiastic science communicator and has made numerous media and public appearances in relation to radioactive waste disposal and nuclear decommissioning.
This documentary was 100% funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, and The University of Sheffield.
Please note: As this video was published four years ago, some statistics, figures and cost estimates are now out of date, and business / job titles have changed. Nevertheless, it is an effective, independent video which explains radioactive waste and the concept of a GDF, and we have therefore decided to share it with you. We hope you find it an insightful watch.