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The solid nuclear fuel business is structured like the multi-color printer cartridge business: once a specific uranium isotope is depleted, you have to throw th
by nipponese 7y ago
The solid nuclear fuel business is structured like the multi-color printer cartridge business: once a specific uranium isotope is depleted, you have to throw the whole thing away. FWIW, there are several projects, including one funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, trying to solve the issue, but are running into significant political pushback.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TerraPower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TerraPower
- trophycase 7y agoAm I reading this right? "erraPower notes that the US hosts 700,000 metric tons of depleted uranium and that 8 metric tons could power 2.5 million homes for a year.[9] Some reports claim that the high fuel efficiency of TWRs, combined with the ability to use uranium recovered from river or sea water, means enough fuel is available to generate electricity for 10 billion people at US per capita consumption levels for million-year time-scales." That sounds completely crazy haha
- jabl 7y agoIt might sound crazy, but it's true. The amount of energy that can be extracted from nuclear fuel is mind boggling.
- saalweachter 7y agoThis is also why the "let's throw it into the sun" style proposals are bonkers. Do you know how rare, useful and valuable those heavy atoms are?