molybdenum

The 11,000 containers at the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage facility could require as much as 33 million pounds of molybdenum. The inner container would be made of Type 316L stainless steel (2.2 percent Mo) and nickel-base Alloy 22 (13.5 percent Mo) for the outer container. Will there be sufficient molybdenum roasting capacity to provide enough of the corrosive-resistant element for these containers required in the next decade? If not, will a substitute element be allowed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission?