Mastering a critical step in storing radioactive waste

An EPFL research project has developed a detailed profile of the sites selected to store radioactive waste from Swiss nuclear power plants. The project also helps identify sites that meet both safety and feasibility requirements. 'Radioactive waste containers are safer the deeper they are buried in rock, but that makes the process much more technically challenging too. I had to consider both of these factors in my thesis, while maintaining a very long-term perspective,' says Valentina Favero, a civil engineer and a researcher in EPFL's Laboratory of Soil Mechanics (LMS) who passed her PhD oral exam on 16 January. Her public defense will take place on 3 March at EPFL. 'Favero's findings will play a role in selecting radioactive waste storage sites in Switzerland,' says Professor Lyesse Laloui, one of her PhD advisors and head of the LMS. 'Her work is sure to have major scientific implications and a significant impact on society.' In 2008, the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra) identified six regions in Switzerland, approved by the Federal Council, that could be used to store radioactive waste.