Synroc Synthetic Rock
Synroc Synthetic Rock :
A process for immobilizing radioactive wastes by incorporating them in a synthetic rock. Invented in 1978 by A. E. Ringwood in the Australian National University, Canberra, and subsequently developed further in many other laboratories in several countries. The "rock" has four main components, all containing titanium: perovskite, zirconolite, hollandite, and rutile. A non-radioactive pilot plant was designed and built at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO), Sydney, and operated from 1988 to 1991. The project is continuing at ANSTO with emphasis on Synroc processing science and active plant design. In 1990 the Australian company Nuclear Waste Management Pty, which has nonexclusive rights, proposed to build a pilot plant in The USSR, but this plan was probably abandoned
