By harnessing the gamma rays of nuclear waste, a masters student has
developed a way to use the material to sterilize food and equipment.
Russell Goff, a masters student in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Oregon State University, has created a patent-pending tube able to contain the dangerous radiation of spent nuclear fuel while allowing the gamma rays to escape. Gamma rays have already been safely used to sterilize a variety of materials, including bandages, syringes and meats, but they usually come from Cobalt-70, which is limited in supply and relatively expensive.
Through his company, G-Demption LLC, Goff hopes to eventually offer a facility where materials could be dropped off to be safely irradiated and then returned, making use of the spent fuel from the more than 100 nuclear power plants in operation in the US.
Russell Goff, a masters student in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Oregon State University, has created a patent-pending tube able to contain the dangerous radiation of spent nuclear fuel while allowing the gamma rays to escape. Gamma rays have already been safely used to sterilize a variety of materials, including bandages, syringes and meats, but they usually come from Cobalt-70, which is limited in supply and relatively expensive.
Through his company, G-Demption LLC, Goff hopes to eventually offer a facility where materials could be dropped off to be safely irradiated and then returned, making use of the spent fuel from the more than 100 nuclear power plants in operation in the US.
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