They can be, depending on the reactor design.
Nuclear energy produces wastes in the form of spent nuclear fuels, which are a mixture of radioactive isotopes and heavy metals - both of which are toxic - and irradiated materials surrounding the reactor which become radioactive from exposure to the radiation produced by the reactor and which must be disposed of at the end of the life of the reactor. Note that breeder reactors - which are not permitted in the USA - convert some of the otherwise unusable radioactive isotopes into fissionable isotopes, thus allowing more of the fuel to be used and reducing amount of fuel rod waste (with the rods being re-processed to recover more usable fuel rather than just disposed of).
Plutonium is a radioactive metal that is used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. It is produced by irradiating uranium in a reactor. It is highly toxic and poses a significant health risk if inhaled or ingested.
A nuclear reactor typically includes fuel rods containing uranium or plutonium, control rods to moderate the nuclear reaction, a coolant to transfer heat away from the reactor core, a containment structure to prevent the release of radioactive materials, and a system to convert the heat produced into electricity.
This isotope does not occur in the environment and thus must be produced synthetically.
The radioactive metal used in nuclear reactors is uranium. It is commonly used as fuel in nuclear reactors due to its ability to undergo nuclear fission, releasing large amounts of energy in the process.
Nuclear energy produces wastes in the form of spent nuclear fuels, which are a mixture of radioactive isotopes and heavy metals - both of which are toxic - and irradiated materials surrounding the reactor which become radioactive from exposure to the radiation produced by the reactor and which must be disposed of at the end of the life of the reactor. Note that breeder reactors - which are not permitted in the USA - convert some of the otherwise unusable radioactive isotopes into fissionable isotopes, thus allowing more of the fuel to be used and reducing amount of fuel rod waste (with the rods being re-processed to recover more usable fuel rather than just disposed of).
The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor released a variety of radioactive debris, including radioactive isotopes of iodine, cesium, strontium, and plutonium. These radioactive particles were carried by the wind and spread over a wide area, contaminating the surrounding environment.
In my understanding, this is because a fusion reactor reacts deuterium to produce helium, which is not radioactive, whereas a fission uses uranium or plutonium, for example, which may react to form various radioactive isotopes. A fusion reactor may contain small quantities of tritium, in which case a radioactive isotope of hydrogen may be produced, but given that the majority of reactions occurring involve solely the deuterium, there is less radioactive waste produced.
Some isotopes of cesium are radioactive and synthetic, as indicated in recent news reports about the Japanese nuclear reactor damaged by the recent severe earthquake/tsunami. (The radioactive cesium reported was formed by atomic fission of uranium and/or plutonium in the reactor.) However, most cesium is neither radioactive nor synthetic!
I thinks its Nuclear fission that’s what I put
neptunium and plutonium
If you are a smart guy, you can make a nuclear bomb, or a nuclear reactor...
The electricity produced by a nuclear reactor can vary depending on its size and design, but a typical nuclear reactor can generate anywhere from 500 megawatts to 1,500 megawatts of electricity.
The used fuel in a nuclear power plant is the nuclear fuel being discharged from the nuclear reactor after being irradiated during reactor operation. It is usually composed of trans-uranium heavy elements, a wide variety of fission products (that resulted from the nuclear fission processes in the nuclear reactor) and products of radioactive decay (produced before and after fuel discharge from the nuclear reactor).
The radioactive materials produced in a nuclear reactor are radioactive because of instability in the nucleus of the atoms of the radioactive materials. Chemistry only affects the way elements behave because of the electron structure. Chemistry is electonic and the radioactive products have problems in their nuclei. Chemistry doesn't affect the nucleus of the atom, so chemical methods cannot be used to deal with radioactive materials, per se.
The steam that comes out of nuclear cooling towers is not radioactive. It is produced from the water that is used to cool the reactor, and any radioactive materials would remain inside the reactor containment building and not be released into the environment.
I think is energy produced by the reactor in a second...