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This is something I've always wondered about, especially when confronted by environmentalist camps that oppose nuclear power. Nuclear fuel recycling seems tota
by cloakandswagger 10y ago
This is something I've always wondered about, especially when confronted by environmentalist camps that oppose nuclear power.
Nuclear fuel recycling seems totally viable, and I imagine nuclear "waste" could be reprocessed and used for as long as there are fissionable products left in it. At which point it would pose minimal danger and save us a boatload on 10,000 year warning signs.
- mjevans 10y agoIt's viable in all ways except political. People are scared by the phrase 'breeder reactor'; which is poor marketing, calling it a 'waste reduction reactor' is slightly longer, but also more accurately describes what it does and sounds a LOT better. I think it may have been a result of Fukushima, but I gained an interest in the topic and spent a few tens of hours researching. A proper waste reduction reactor produces three categories of radioactive material. * Stuff that is so crazy hot it'll cool off in a 'short' period of time. * Stuff that is good for use in reactors (a subset of the above). * Stuff that will take a LONG time to decay; which means that it is active, but very very slowly emitting.