Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, "Hitachi") announced today that they have begun joint research with three American universities - the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Michigan (U-M), and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) - aimed at using Transuranium Elements (TRUs*1) as fuel, and the development of Resource-renewable Boiling Water Reactors (RBWRs) that enable the effective use of uranium resources. Through this joint research, Hitachi plans to evaluate the performance and safety of RBWRs, which is being developed by Hitachi and Hitachi GE Nuclear Energy Ltd., and to study plans for testing with a view toward practical applications with each university.<br><br>The uranium fuel used in nuclear power plants contains TRUs, which are harmful to humans, and it is estimated that it takes about 100,000 years for the radioactive properties of these materials to decay to the level of uranium ore in its natural state. If TRUs could be effectively removed from these spent fuels, then the period of decay for the remaining radioactive waste materials could be reduced to just a few hundred years. For this reason, research and development is being conducted throughout the world targeting nuclear reactors that can achieve nuclear fission in transuranic waste.<br><br><a href="http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2014/08/140828.html">READ MORE ON HITACHI NEWS</a><br><br>
