Chinese company Changsha Boiler Plant Co Ltd (CBP) has initiated construction on a plasma furnace that will become China's first reactor to process radioactive nuclear power plant waste, according to China Daily.
Construction began Tuesday at the company's headquarters in Changsha, said Huang Wenyou, director of national energy development and research center on nuclear equipment.
The furnace is designed to transmute the nuclear waste into less-harmful waste. The technology, though relatively new and not in widespread use, looks to have a promising future in the industry.
According to an NEI article last May, "The intrinsic versatility of plasma-based technology to process a wide range of heterogeneous waste-forms under a single standard configuration, coupled with significant waste reduction factors, makes it very attractive to the nuclear sector."
If the project is successful and passes the necessary tests, the design will be put to use in power plants throughout the country.
CBP is a state-held enterprise and has helped build equipment for the Dayawan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong province and Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant in Shandong province.
The furnace is co-developed by CBP and the China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute (CNPRI).