Research effort will explore recycling materials from spent nuclear fuel into fuel for future molten salt reactors.

ABILENE, Texas, Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Natura Resources today announced its participation in a Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES)-led research effort, Turning Nuclear Waste into Fuel with a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor, selected to receive $5.4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The funding, provided through ARPA-E’s High-performance Optimized Recycled Nuclear Isotopes for Gen IV reactors (HORNIG) program, is part of an up to $50 million investment across eight selected projects to advance next-generation nuclear fuels.

The effort will develop a fuel form compatible with Natura’s technology that could help reduce America’s spent nuclear fuel stockpile while minimizing the creation of new long-lived radionuclides. The work supports HORNIG’s goal of accelerating the commercial deployment of advanced reactors and strengthening America’s domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.

“Texas A&M has played an important role in Natura’s journey from our company’s founding,” said Jordan Robison, CEO of Natura Resources. “Our work together through the Natura Resources Research Alliance has established a strong foundation for collaboration, and with the Department of Energy’s investment, this gives us another opportunity to turn advanced research into action. With Texas A&M also being identified as one of the proposed sites for our MSR-100, we see this as part of a much larger partnership focused on bringing advanced molten salt technology to market.”

“Texas A&M University and Natura Resources have established a strong and successful partnership, and this new project builds upon that foundation. Natura Resources will serve as our technology commercialization partner, contributing not only to research and development but also to data collection, validation, and documentation in accordance with industry standards. This seamless integration of academic research, industry standards, and technology commercialization is a distinctive feature of our project and one of the key strengths of our team,” said Lin Shao, Regents Professor of nuclear engineering and associate dean for research in the Texas A&M University College of Engineering.

“America’s energy future depends on bold innovation and strong partnerships between the federal government, national laboratories, universities and industry,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly in announcing the award. “This project demonstrates how we can address long-term nuclear waste challenges while advancing technologies that strengthen our nation’s energy security. The Department of Energy is proud to support research that has the potential to unlock new value from existing nuclear materials and accelerate the deployment of advanced reactor systems.”

“The Energy Department is delivering on President Trump’s vision to unleash an American nuclear renaissance by investing in next-generation nuclear technologies that strengthen our energy independence and bolster our national and economic security,” said ARPA-E Director Conner Prochaska. “These projects will help bring tomorrow’s reactors online faster and power American prosperity for decades to come.”

Over 36 months, researchers and engineers from TEES, Savannah River National Laboratory and Natura Resources will explore how materials found in spent nuclear fuel could be recycled and used as fuel in advanced molten salt reactors. Natura’s portion of the work is valued at $1 million. The research could help address one of the nuclear industry’s longstanding challenges while creating new opportunities to make better use of existing nuclear material.

Unlike conventional approaches that treat these materials primarily as a disposal challenge, the research will study how long-lived transuranic materials found in spent nuclear fuel could be incorporated into a thorium-based molten salt fuel and consumed in an advanced reactor. The work will help build the scientific and engineering foundation needed to qualify this type of liquid fuel for future reactor use, including understanding its chemistry, performance and compatibility with reactor materials.

The research will begin at Texas A&M using cerium as a non-radioactive surrogate for plutonium to develop and validate methods for understanding the fuel’s chemistry, performance and compatibility with reactor materials. The work is then expected to move to Savannah River National Laboratory, where those methods will be validated using plutonium-bearing fuel salts.

Natura will serve as the effort’s industrial partner and prospective commercial end user, helping bridge laboratory research and commercial reactor deployment. Natura will help integrate the research findings into reactor design and lead the techno-economic and commercialization work, including evaluating licensing, manufacturing, supply chain and deployment considerations.

About Natura Resources

Natura Resources LLC is a leading advanced small modular reactor developer committed to answering increasing domestic and global demands for reliable energy, medical isotopes, and clean water. Natura’s reactors are liquid-fueled and molten salt-cooled, which enhances safety and reduces waste. With the first construction permit for a liquid-fueled reactor from the NRC, Natura has established itself as a leading force in the advanced nuclear industry, fueled by a commitment to support America’s energy future. The company is privately owned and has secured more than $120 million in private funding and a commitment of $120 million from the State of Texas. For more information, www.naturaresources.com.

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