The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority has decided to extend and expand Chalmers’ permission to hold and process fissile material. This means new possibilities for the department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering to conduct nuclear research, but most of all for educating students and PhD students.
The team that makes the research and educate in Nuclear Chemistry got their permit to conduct nuclear research. In addition, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority extends the permit. This is due to the fact that the group has been able to meet the very high safety requirements for handling fissile materials. According to Christian Ekberg, Professor of Nuclear Chemistry and leading the group, the permit gives Chalmers unique possibilities.
"It is amazing that this small group now has the opportunity to do things that cannot be done elsewhere in the western world," says Christian Ekberg, Professor of Nuclear Chemistry.
The permission creates the opportunity to let students and doctoral students work hands on with relevant amounts of radioactive material which, according to Christian Ekberg, is important for learning about opportunities, risks and limitations in reality.
"It's one thing reading about radioactive material, but another thing to actually work with the material. In order to really understand what, for example, nuclear fuel is and to make real-world assessments, it's important to have experience of working with it”, says Christian Ekberg.
The radioactive material that is contained in interlayers and final repositories will require knowledge in the area for many generations to come. The education and research that the permission now provides offer greater opportunities for competence development in this area, not only in Sweden but also internationally through the unique courses that the group provides.