Scientific American: Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste [ ENERGY ]
Fast-neutron reactors could extract much more energy from recycled nuclear fuel, minimize the risks of weapons proliferation and markedly reduce the time nuclear waste must be isolated… . . .
Life on our planet is due to the heat produced by nuclear energy, both from the Sun and within the interior of Earth. Up till now, it has become apparent that these were the only safe places for them to be for Life on our Home. A feature article in the December 2005 issue of Scientific American details a new type of Nuclear Power Generation on the horizon that should finally deliver on the promise of delivering significant quantities of sustainable safe clean energy. Rather than leaving most of the energy behind as a very dangerous byproduct, which given the time scales required involved makes safe storage doubtful; this new generation on reactors will utilize practically all the energy within the radioactive material and convert it into power. Very little is left over, and what remains is a relatively safe and only has to be contained for a few hundred years, something that is perhaps feasible and manageable. A not insignificant problem of some current Nuclear Power generation technologies is that the byproducts can be made into nuclear bombs. This new technology suffers from no such drawbacks. These factors may be significant enough to make a difference in helping to stem the tide of the global Extinction Level Event (ELE) that we have precipitated with things such as the previous Nuclear Power generation technologies.
Decomissioned plant materials radioactive?
