Scientists are attempting to transform nuclear waste into batteries that can last for thousands of years.
科學家正試圖將核廢料轉化為可持續使用數千年的電池。
Next-generation diamond batteries that use energy from radioactive materials have already been developed and tested by researchers at the University of Bristol, who now hope to recycle waste from decommissioned nuclear power plants around the UK.
英國布里斯托大學的研究人員已經開發和測試了下一代金剛石電池。該電池利用來自放射性材料的能量。如今，研究人員希望回收利用英國各地退役核電站的廢料。
Work began earlier this month to remove radioactive waste products from the Berkeley Power Station in Gloucestershire, which was decommissioned in 1989 but has only just become safe.
清除格洛斯特郡伯克利發電站放射性廢料的工作於本月早些時候開始進行。該發電站於1989年退役，但剛剛變得安全。
Carbon-14 isotopes extracted from graphite blocks produced by the plant are infused with wafer-thin diamonds to create the batteries, which researchers say are capable of providing power on a 「near-infinite basis」.
研究人員從該發電站產生的石墨塊中提取碳-14同位素，並將其注入極薄的金剛石中，以製成電池。他們說，這種電池能夠提供「幾乎無窮的」電力。
Potential applications range from powering hearing aids and pacemakers, to extending the range of spacecraft to distances much further than are currently possible.
這種電池的潛在應用包括為助聽器和心臟起搏器提供電力，以及讓太空飛行器的飛行距離擴大到比目前遠得多的地方。
The diamond batteries are already being tested in extreme environments where it is difficult to replace conventional power sources, including in sensors as the top of volcanos.
目前已經對金剛石電池進行了極端環境下的測試。在這種環境下通常難以更換常規電源，比如火山頂部傳感器的電源。
"Eventually, a highly powerful version of a diamond battery could power a mobile phone," James Barker, from the University of Bristol's Faculty of Engineering, told The Independent.
布里斯托大學工程學院的詹姆斯·巴克說：「最終，電力強大的金剛石電池可以為手機提供電力。」
"Primarily though, they are best for devices requiring long lifetime, low power and where it is difficult to replace energy sources."
「不過，它們最適合需要長期使用、用電量低以及難以更換電源的設備。」
The diamond batteries are encased in a non-radioactive diamond layer, which absorbs any radiation given off by the C14 source and makes them safe to use in medical and consumer devices.
這些金剛石電池被包裹在非放射性金剛石層中。金剛石層吸收了碳-14源釋放的所有輻射，使它們可以安全地用於醫療設備和消費類電子設備。
There is close to 100,000 tonnes of nuclear waste in the form of graphite blocks in the UK alone, with most plants due to be decommissioned by 2030. The scientists hope to have a pilot factory producing the batteries within five years at the Berkeley site.
僅在英國，就有近10萬噸以石墨塊形式存在的核廢料，而大多數核電站將在2030年前退役。科學家希望在5年內在伯克利核電廠建立一個試驗性的電池生產廠。
"The ultimate aim is to have a factory based at one of the former power stations in the South West that takes Carbon-14 isotopes directly from the graphite blocks for use in diamond batteries. This would significantly reduce the radioactivity of the remaining material, making it easier and safer to manage,」 said Professor Tom Scott, director of the South West Nuclear Hub.
西南核研究中心負責人湯姆·斯科特教授說：「最終目標是在西南地區前核電站中的一個核電站地址建廠，直接從石墨塊中提取碳-14同位素，以生產金剛石電池。這將極大地降低剩餘核材料的放射性，從而更加容易和安全地處置它們。」
"With the majority of the UK’s nuclear power plants set to go offline in the next 10-15 years this presents a huge opportunity to recycle a large amount of material to generate power for so many great uses."
「由於英國大多數核電站將在未來10到15年內關閉，這將是一個巨大的機會，可以回收利用大量材料，生產電力，用於如此多的重大用途。」