Radioactive Waste Decontaminant Developed in Armenia

Back in 2015, analytical portal analitikaua.net wrote about the unique Armenian powder “Femir” designed for the disposal of radioactive waste. It would be interesting to know whether this powder is used now, and if it is, then where and in what quantities.

Armenian technologists have developed a unique method for the disposal of radioactive waste. A high degree of safety of radioactive waste is achieved through the use of a new method called “intramolecular magnetic neutralization” combined with new composite radioactively resistant materials based on the polymetallic oxide ferrimagnetic powder “Femir” (FMR), which is obtained from natural raw materials developed in Syunik Region by AT-METALS.

Advisor to the Prime Minister of Armenia, chairman of the AT-METALS LLC company group Hamlet Hovsepyan in an interview with journalists noted that AT-METALS had been conducting research in connection with metal mines for 3 years.

“Over the course of the research, we were able to conduct experiments on radioactive waste. Of course, the president’s support was great here, he believed in us, and we sent the results of our experiments to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) to find out their opinion.

They responded that it would be a real phenomenon if we could conduct an industrial experiment and if the same dynamics continued. This means that it can be considered an international invention that can be implemented at the level of the whole world,” said Hovsepyan.

He added that the experiment conducted at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant was very difficult.

“In September of this year, at the suggestion of the IAEA, we presented our project – a technology for disposing of radioactive waste – at a scientific forum organized in France by the American organization MRS. The entire scientific world present at the forum was surprised by our project which makes the decontamination of radioactive waste safer than the standards set by the IAEA.”

The CEO of AT-METALS LLC Hayk Mezhlumyan noted that the material itself is not radioactive.

“Our results are at least 2-3 times cheaper than other existing technologies,” Mezhlumyan stressed as well. On the question of when the invented technology would be introduced, Mezhlumyan said that it is necessary to go through all certification processes that had already been agreed with the IAEA. “This is a process of several months, during which we must finally develop the process of technology implementation.”

Technological engineer of AT-METALS LLC Vram Khachatryan remarked that before, different screens made from various materials had been used for decontamination. As soon as these screens deteriorated, radioactivity could once again become dangerous for the environment. “Our technology differs from the screen version in that it performs intramolecular capsulization, that is, capsulization at the nanomolecular level.”.

It should be noted that the advantages of the intramolecular magnetic neutralization method used by Armenian technologists are increased environmental safety, reliability, functionality, efficiency of the technology, as well as reduced costs of neutralizing radioactive waste.