At the Atomic Nightclub

Sulfate, a major ingredient in Epsom salts, won't blend with the borosilicate and must be removed. Bowman-James has designed some chemical bouncers she thinks will do just that.

Her bouncers - they're actually molecules - grab the unwanted sulfate guests and escort them out of the radioactive party. It's not easy because sulfates love the water found in the waste and hang on tight to it.

But Bowman-James has found compounds that show promise of snatching sulfates away from the water and has shipped the recipes for those compounds to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for further testing.

If she succeeds, technicians should then be able to drain off the bouncers and their sulfate prisoners, making the remaining waste easier to deal with.

"Sulfate really interferes with making the glass," Bowman-James said, "Getting it out of the waste mixture can save millions of dollars."

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