# The state and future of nuclear waste

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2026-03-26
- Length: 34m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste

## Summary

Dr. Jen Shafer, a former ARPA-E director and professor at the Colorado School of Mines, explains the composition of spent nuclear fuel, noting that 95% is unreacted uranium dioxide while the remaining 5% contains long-lived actinides and fission products. She details the current US strategy of storing 90,000 metric tons of waste in spent fuel pools and dry casks at reactor sites, as the Yucca Mountain repository remains stalled. Shafer contrasts the waste handling challenges of different reactor types, highlighting that ceramic fuels like TRISO are stable, whereas metallic or molten salt fuels require complex conditioning or recycling. Finally, she discusses the 'take-back' model for microreactors and the political and social hurdles to establishing new centralized geological repositories.

## Chapters

- [0:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste#t=8) Introduction: The scale of US nuclear waste
- [3:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste#t=200) Composition of spent fuel: Uranium dioxide and actinides
- [6:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste#t=389) Yucca Mountain history and current dry cask storage
- [13:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste#t=797) Recycling strategies and fast reactor technologies
- [20:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste#t=1201) Storage mechanics: Spent fuel pools and concrete casks
- [23:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste#t=1396) Waste challenges of advanced reactor fuel types
- [27:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste#t=1633) Microreactor 'take-back' models and state regulations
- [29:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste#t=1766) Future of repositories: Boreholes and social license

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- ARPA-E (company)
- Colorado School of Mines (other)
- Yucca Mountain (other)
- TerraPower (company)
- Oak Ridge (other)
- GE Hitachi (company)
- Westinghouse (company)
- AP1000 (product)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-26-the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.