Oak Ridge Exceeds Uranium-233 Goal: 62 Canisters Processed in One Year, Over 78% of Inventory Cleared
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management announced on November 3, 2026, that crews at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, processed 62 canisters of uranium-233 for safe transportation and disposal during the fiscal year that recently ended, surpassing the 50-canister goal as they advance the highest priority cleanup project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Uranium-233 is a special nuclear material created in the 1950s and 1960s for potential use in nuclear reactors but proved unviable, and it has remained in storage at ORNL for decades. Contractor Isotek is working to eliminate the nation's inventory of the material. Sarah Schaefer, project manager for Isotek, said that despite the technical challenges of processing this special nuclear material, the Isotek team consistently finds solutions, efficiencies and workarounds to deliver significant progress annually.
As processing has progressed, it has presented more challenges. A portion of the remaining inventory exceeds limits allowed in the processing facility, and Isotek designed an innovative solution to segment the canisters in the storage facility before moving them for processing, saving the project $175 million and preventing delays. Some material is higher in transuranic activity, requiring additional downblending before it can be shipped for disposal. Isotek Process Manager Shanna Veilleux said the team has adapted its approach by incorporating additional sampling and detailed technical reviews to support processing decisions without compromising safety or operational reliability.
To date, Isotek has processed and disposed of over 78% of the original uranium-233 inventory stored at ORNL, and workers have transported over 700,000 pounds of processed solidified waste for disposal. Crews are also extracting thorium-229, an extremely rare medical isotope used to develop targeted cancer treatments currently in clinical trials; they have extracted over 24 grams, boosting the world's supply by more than 2,000%. The Office of Environmental Management and Isotek recently installed a new analytical laboratory that will accelerate uranium-233 waste disposition and increase thorium-229 deliveries.
(Source: U.S. Department of Energy)
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：工作人员在 Oak Ridge 的重屏蔽热室中处理铀-233材料。照片：美国能源部（DOE），公共领域。 / Photo: Workers process uranium-233 material in heavily shielded hot cells at Oak Ridge. Photo by the U.S. Department of Energy, public domain.
