word

nuclear waste vitrification

NOO-klee-er wayst vih-trih-fih-KAY-shun

/ˈnjuːkliər weɪst ˌvɪtrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/

Listen

Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.

Syllable breakdown

nuclearwastevitrification

Dictionary meaning

The process of immobilising high-level liquid nuclear waste by incorporating it into a stable glass matrix (borosilicate glass), which locks in the radioactive fission products and prevents their release into the environment for thousands of years

History and origin

Latin vitrum (glass) + facere (to make); vitrification of nuclear waste was first demonstrated at full scale in France in the 1970s

Examples

Nuclear waste vitrification is the internationally accepted method for immobilising the most dangerous categories of radioactive waste.
The Savannah River Site in South Carolina operates one of the largest nuclear waste vitrification facilities in the United States.

Synonyms: high-level waste vitrification, nuclear glass immobilisation

Pronunciation tips

Say vit-rih-fih-KAY-shun; break at each prefix: vit-ri-fi-ca-tion

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