Hi there! Since @pintofscienceAU has to go online this year, I’ve been asked to introduce myself and what I do here instead of at the pub. So... my name’s Jess and I’m a nuclear chemist ☢️👩🔬. Grab yourself a beer and get ready for #ThisIsMyScience #AtomsToGalaxies
Did you know that upwards of 96% of ‘nuclear waste’ could potentially be recycled? That’s why I don’t like calling it waste, but prefer ‘used nuclear fuel’. It may have been used once, but we can use it again! #NuclearWaste #recycling #wastemanagement #ThisIsMyScience
Removing just 5 actinide elements from used nuclear fuel would reduce the volume, radiotoxicity & lifetime of the remaining waste from ~130,000 to 270 years! Plus, the actinides can be re-used as fuel. I research new ways to separate actinides from used fuel. #ThisIsMyScience 
Some countries already recycle #uranium and #plutonium using a process called PUREX. But PUREX uses solvents that become contaminated. I’m interested in preventing the creation of secondary waste during actinide separations by developing solid phase materials. #ThisIsMyScience
And there’s more! The materials developed for actinide separations also have other applications, like cleaning up heavy metal contamination, or in mining processes to isolate metals from ores. If you have any ideas, or any questions, please get in touch! #ThisIsMyScience
