2006-06-25 06:53:22 · 4 answers · asked by christine2550@sbcglobal.net 2 in Environment
I agree with you...
Many years of hard work has still not lead us to perfect solution for the already existence mess. I dont know how long will nature be able to survive what we have done.
Nuclear waste will have a direct impact on us, and much more quickly. We have may have lot of electricty.. but no one to use it.
2006-06-25 07:09:49 · answer #1 · answered by Varun G 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
The problem is that there is still a lot of radioactivity in spent fuel rods (we won't worry so much about that radioactive shop rag some mechanic used to wipe up his work on a coolant pump or something; not much to do with that except bury it and wait) -- there's still a good bit of uranium left in the rod, just not enough to generate usable amounts of heat. Because of our non-proliferation treaties with the other nuclear nations, we are not allowed to reprocess those rods and remove the uranium to recast into fuel rods, because some of the uranium has absorbed neutrons and become plutonium, which as you know is used for nuclear weapons, and the process automatically separates out relatively pure plutonium as well as usable uranium. What to do with the plutonium, then? There would be much less radioactive waste from spent fuel rods if we were to convert to breeder reactors like they have in France -- reactors that use a mixture of plutonium and uranium and "breed" their own fuel -- the plutonium is what actually gets used as fuel, but the uranium gradually becomes more plutonium, so the core lasts longer. In order to do this, we would need new treaties that allowed us to convert to breeder reactors and reprocess our fuel to include plutonium, with the promise that we wouldn't be naughty and make a kajillion atomic bombs with any of it. There would still be nuclear waste left over -- nothing is 100% efficient -- but there would be much less.
2006-06-25 07:16:55 · answer #2 · answered by theyuks 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree... I'm totally pro nuclear energy if we resolve the matters of nuclear waste transport and deposition!
2006-06-26 21:39:42 · answer #3 · answered by Jasna 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
more power plants first
spent fuel rod disposal next!
2006-06-25 06:58:39 · answer #4 · answered by Pobept 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋