A revolutionary “diamond battery” could transform thousands of tonnes of nuclear waste in the UK into a source of clean power, according to scientists.

Researchers at Bristol University are developing the battery from radioactive carbon which can help generate energy for more than 5,000 years.

In the UK, waste graphite from decommissioned nuclear power plants amounts to nearly 95,000 tonnes.

But scientists can now extract radioactive carbon from the waste, reducing its radioactivity and the cost of storage.

“By encapsulating radioactive material inside diamonds, we turn a long-term problem of nuclear waste into a nuclear-powered battery and a long-term supply of clean energy,” said Tom Scott, professor in materials at Bristol.

  around the world, world news