A collection of true facts about uranium, DUF6 and its application

For the past several years, the Department of Energy has received numerous inquiries from the public and particularly from school-aged children, who were interested in learning more about the Department's inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride and ultimately, how the Government is going to address the outlook of this legacy material.

The Department put together the following "fun facts," as a resource of putting into perspective the characteristics of this material, in terms recognizable from everyday life. It is their hope that people will find these "fun facts," interesting and thought-provoking, in terms of understanding the challenge before the Department in managing this material and providing for its ultimate conversion and disposition.

A Depleted Uranium Uses Research and Development Program was initiated to explore the safe, valuable use of depleted uranium and other materials resulting from conversion of depleted UF6 (e.g., fluorine and empty carbon steel cylinders) for the purposes of resource conservation and cost savings compared with disposal.

This program explored the risks and benefits of several depleted uranium application, including uses as a radiation shielding material, a catalyst, and a semi-conductor material in electronic devices.