Waste of Nuclear Could Have Own Benefits!

Nuclear energy is indeed the most efficient way of producing energy to cater for world energy demand, but the problem of waste disposal has long been one of the few hindrance of this superb technology. There is many ways that even the waste disposed can be used to many good use.

According to Charles Forsberg, director of MIT’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle Study, a collaborative project between the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the MIT Energy Initiative. “Some components of spent nuclear fuel can be recycled and used to make more energy. But it’s not economical to do so right now.”
Nuclear reactors typically use enriched uranium pellets for fuel. A starter device emits neutrons that split the atoms in the pellets. This atom splitting, called fission, releases more neutrons, which in turn split more atoms. This controlled chain reaction sustains itself until the fuel becomes “burned out” or “spent,” says Forsberg. “Like wet wood, it doesn’t burn well anymore.” Spent fuel can become high-level nuclear waste, or it can be recycled. Recycling the fuel, called reprocessing, involves removing the ash (fission products) and converting the uranium and plutonium into new fuel.

Proper waste management