Latest news with #nuclearEnergy
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
90% radioactive iodine gone: Scientists use AI to crack code on nuclear waste cleanup
Scientists may have finally found a solution to tackle the problem of radioactive iodine, one of nuclear energy's most stubborn threats, thanks to AI. A research team in South Korea has used artificial intelligence to discover a powerful new material that can trap radioactive iodine, specifically isotope I-129, one of the most persistent and dangerous byproducts of nuclear energy that poses serious environmental and health risks. With a half-life of 15.7 million years, I-129 is highly mobile in the environment and notoriously difficult to remove from contaminated water. Developed by researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in collaboration with the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), the breakthrough material belongs to a class called Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs). These compounds are known for their structural flexibility and ability to trap negatively charged particles like iodate (IO₃⁻), the form radioactive iodine most often takes in aqueous environments. Instead of testing thousands of LDH combinations manually, which would be difficult to search through conventional trial-and-error experiments, the team turned to machine learning to identify optimal iodate adsorbents. Starting with experimental data from 24 binary and 96 ternary compositions, they trained a model to predict the most promising candidates from a vast pool of metal combinations. The team focused on the fact that LDHs, like high-entropy materials, can incorporate a wide range of metal compositions and possess structures favorable for anion adsorption. The AI model guided the researchers to a quinary compound made of copper, chromium, iron, and aluminum, named dubbed Cu₃(CrFeAl). This material showed over 90 percent efficiency in removing iodate from water, outperforming traditional silver-based absorbents, which often fail to trap iodate effectively. Remarkably, the team only needed to test about 16 percent of all possible material combinations to find the optimal one, demonstrating the power of AI in reducing both time and cost in nuclear environmental research. "This study shows the potential of using artificial intelligence to efficiently identify radioactive decontamination materials from a vast pool of new material candidates," said KAIST professor Ho Jin Ryu. 'It is expected to accelerate research for developing new materials for nuclear environmental cleanup.' The research team has filed a domestic patent application for the developed powder technology and is currently proceeding with an international patent application. They are also working to improve the material's stability under real-world conditions. The team is now looking for academic and industrial partnerships to develop iodine-absorbing powders and water filters that can be used in contaminated nuclear sites to trap radioactive iodine. The study was led by Professor Ho Jin Ryu from the Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering at KAIST, in collaboration with Dr. Juhwan Noh of the Digital Chemistry Research Center at KRICT. Dr. Sujeong Lee, a graduate of KAIST's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. Noh were listed as co-first authors on the paper. The findings were published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Japan Times
26-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan's power demand may grow by up to 40% by 2050
Japan's electricity demand is projected to grow by up to 40% from the 2019 level in 2050, if the wider use of generative artificial intelligence spurs the construction of more data centers, an industry organization said Wednesday. The Organization for Cross-Regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, which coordinates electricity supply and demand across Japan, warned in a report that supply shortages may occur even if nuclear power reactors and aging thermal power plants are rebuilt. The organization, which comprises power utilities nationwide, suggested several scenarios for electricity supply and demand in 2040 and 2050. According to the report, power demand is estimated to rise to between 900 billion and 1.1 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2040 and between 950 billion and 1.25 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2050, higher than the 2019 demand of 880 billion kilowatt-hours. Even if power companies make significant progress in replacing their nuclear and thermal power plants with newer models, the country's electricity supply is expected to fall short of demand by up to 23 million kilowatts in 2050. If companies fail to promote such replacements, supply shortages could reach 89 million kilowatts, according to the report. The organization reviews its scenarios every three to five years, hoping that regular updates will help power companies develop their power sources.
Times of Oman
19-06-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Putin says Russia ready to mediate dialogue between Iran, Israel
St Petersburg: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is in touch with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Israel-Iran conflict. He said Russia is prepared to support Tehran's peaceful nuclear development while addressing Tel Aviv's security concerns and that a deal to end fighting between Israel and Iran is possible. Also, Putin has confirmed Russia's readiness to mediate a dialogue between Iran and Israel in a phone call with President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Kremlin said as per state media TASS. "Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to provide mediation assistance in promoting dialogue between the parties to the conflict, informing about contacts with a number of foreign leaders in this regard," the Kremlin statement read. Meanwhile, during a meeting with the heads of leading global news agencies in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Putin said that Russia has engaged in detailed discussions on this issue with both Israeli and US officials, and has communicated proposals to its Iranian counterparts. "In general, it is possible to meet Iran's interests in peaceful nuclear energy and at the same time address Israel's concerns about its national security," he said on the sidelines of the SPIEF 2025 an economic conference in St. Petersburg, Putin also recalled Russia's involvement in Iran's civilian nuclear program, including the completion of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Iran, which was originally designed by German firms and later completed by Russia's state nuclear corporation, Rosatom. "We are in constant contact with our Iranian partners. Our specialists are working in Bushehr, and we are not leaving. Isn't that support? Iran has not asked us for any other support, and I repeat, we have given our assessments." Putin said as reported by TASS. "I've already said that: our specialists are working in Bushehr. Their total number may reach 600 [people]. We are not leaving," Putin said at a meeting with heads of the world's leading news agencies, organized by TASS. The Russian state media report further cited Putin as saying, "It seems to me that it would be right for everyone to look for ways to stop the hostilities and find ways for all parties to this conflict to reach an agreement with each other in order to ensure both the interests of Iran, on the one hand, in its nuclear activity, including peaceful nuclear activity, of course. I mean both peaceful nuclear energy and peaceful nuclear energy in other areas. And to ensure the interests of Israel from the point of view of the unconditional security of the Jewish state." Putin further pointed out that Israel's strikes against Iran had led to a consolidation of Iranian society around the country's leadership. Today, society in Iran, "despite all the complexity of the ongoing domestic political processes," is uniting around the country's leadership: "This is almost always the case everywhere, and Iran is no exception," the Russian President Putin said. During his press conference on Wednesday, when asked what Moscow would do in the event of a targeted assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Putin refused to even entertain the premise, calling it a "scenario I won't even discuss." Russian media outlet RT reported. In an address to the nation, Khamenei rejected President Trump's call for surrender in the conflict with Israel, and warned any US strikes on Iran will have "irreparable consequences." "Intelligent people who know Iran, the nation and the history of Iran, will never speak to this nation in the language of threats, because the Iranian nation cannot be surrendered," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a televised address as reported by New York Times."The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," the Iranian leader said. On Wednesday, US President Trump said that he held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart on June 17, during which the sides discussed the Ukrainian and Iranian crises, including Russia's proposal to mediate a dialogue with Tehran. "I said, 'Do me a favour, mediate your own,'" Trump said he told Putin. "I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later," Trump told reporters at the White House, according to several US media outlets. Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated on June 13 when Israel launched Operation "Rising Lion," targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Iran responded with retaliatory strikes.
Bloomberg
05-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
European Power Markets Brace for Extreme Heat Over the Summer
A cool, wet start to June in Northern Europe is set to give way to a summer of extreme weather, roiling energy markets that have become increasingly dependent on solar and wind power. High-pressure systems are forecast to return later this month, bringing the risk of heat waves this summer following an unusually dry and sunny spring. That will drive up power demand for cooling, though the impact on gas prices will also depend on surging solar generation and nuclear output levels in France.
Bloomberg
03-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Meta's Deal for Nuclear Power Is Likely Cheaper Than Microsoft's, Jefferies Says
By and Naureen S Malik Corrected June 3, 2025 at 12:58 PM EDT Save Surging demand for power to run artificial intelligence just prompted Meta Platforms Inc. to enter a 20-year contract with the biggest US nuclear operator, penning a deal that's likely to be priced at a cheaper rate than a similar agreement rival Microsoft Corp. entered last year. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp will probably be paying about $80 per megawatt hour for energy from the Clinton plant in Illinois, according to Paul Zimbardo, an analyst at Jefferies LLC, who made the forecast based on company guidance.
