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There are well established methods and approaches to deal with and store radioactive waste based on the waste form (solid, liquid. gaseous) and the radioactivity level (low, intermediate, high).
the methods that are applied to store:
- high level nuclear wastes as spent fuel or the spent fuel reprocessing products; are either in wet storage (under water in pools), dry storage (e.g. in casks), or vitrified waste
- for intermediate and low level radioactive waste they are either incinerated or compressed and then contained in barrels, sometimes mixed with cement or asphalt.
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Where does the US send nuclear waste?
For now nuclear waste is stored on site where the waste was generated. In a few years US will begin to store nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, Nevada but no official date has been set.
Can you die from nuclear waste?
Yes, and your grave will be easy to locate with a giger counter 100,000 years from now. There are different grades of nuclear waste with some being not too bad and some being real nasty.
Should the US significantly increase its use of nuclear energy?
This is a question of overall energy policy, the federal government should have some influence on this, and it is connected to efforts to reduce fossil fuel use. My own view (as a non-US person) is that it would be sensible to plan to replace old stations as they come to the end of life, but that a significant expansion of nuclear power should be dependent on agreeing and starting to implement a route for permanent storage of high level waste, ie spent fuel, which is still being stored on power plant sites. It would also be important to ensure the NRC has adequate resources to monitor the new plants. I don't think we should. There is a possibility of a plant exploding and would cause great devastation in an area about the size of Pennsylvania. Also we do not have and efficient way to get rid of the nuclear waste. I heard this from my chemistry teacher. Actually Nuclear Energy is much more efficient than coal. The problem right now would be that the nuclear "waste" is being stored in underground bunkers somewhere in the Rockies, but this waste is actually still active enough that we could re-use it.
How are nuclear wastes now being stored?
In the US they are stored in the complete spent fuel rods which are stored on power plant sites in water filled tanks. In some places dry storage has also had to be used, because the water tanks are full. In the UK and in France they are stored on site for a while and then taken to a central processing site (Sellafield in the UK)
Is nuclear being used more now than in the past?
yes
Why they are storing nuclear waste?
I suppose you mean in the US? Somebody has to store it, it won't go away, and it will have to be stored for centuries to come. Up to now it has all been stored on the power station sites, and at many of these the provided water storage ponds have been filled and dry stores have had to be provided for the older waste which is less active but still dangerous to life. The country needs a solution. One could envision each electricity company owning the plants to be responsible, but I think this would lead to unsatisfactory short cuts which might give trouble in years to come when these companies have disappeared. We have to think long term. The States could be responsible for each State's waste, but then there may not be suitable places for a store in all States that have nuclear plants. The best solution for the country would therefore be to have a national repository in the best place geologically for it, but then no State especially one which does not even have nuclear plants will want to take this task on. The proposed site at Yucca Mountain Nevada is now in doubt I believe. As an outsider, I would have thought the solution was for the Federal Govt to own some territory where they can do what is required, but this wasn't thought of when the country was being carved up into States, apart from Washington DC, and that is hardly suitable on grounds of population density apart from geology.
Where is Russian space shuttle now?
It was destroyed when the building it was being stored in collapsed on it.
What is the plan for long term storage of nuclear waste?
Currently, nuclear waste is stored in large, radiation resistant containers underground in remote locations around the world. There have been discussions about how governments will be dealing with nuclear waste in the future, but no definitive answer has been concluded. There were once talks of launching it into our sun, but some scientists believed this to be a catastrophicly bad idea. So to sum it all up, if you think of a good plan be sure to let your government officials know :)
Could modern day bulk carrier ships profit from nuclear propulsion?
ANY vehicle would benefit from nuclear energy; no refuelling. Years later however, there would be a nuclear waste disposal problem. Play now, pay later.
What chemical can destroy nuclear waste?
Nuclear waste has three different types: alpha, beta and gamma. Alpha (helium nucleus) and beta (electron or positron) are subatomic particles, meaning they are pieces of atoms. Gamma is an energy wave. Gamma is the most dangerous type of radioactive waste, although all nuclear waste is potentially hazardous. When a nuclear reaction happens, pieces of atoms fly off and release the energy that held them together, producing gamma radiation as well as the energy we convert into electricity at nuclear power plants. Because nuclear waste is made up of "broken" atoms, it will require a nuclear reaction to get rid of them, essentially putting the atoms back together and reabsorbing the gamma radiation. Unfortunately, chemicals alone are not strong enough to get rid of nuclear waste. Chemicals, or rather radioactive metals, combined with a powerful "reverse" nuclear reactor may work. Scientists have been working on a solution for a few years now. Check out this article: (See related Link)
Why don't they take all the nuclear waste products and put it in a rocket and shoot it toward the sun than it would burn up?
First off, taking all nuclear waste products and putting it in a rocket and shooting it toward the sun so then it would burn up could cause problems with out atmosphere. The way the nuclear waste products are handled now is what has been studied and found to be the best possible disposal of the waste products without causing further damage to the people, surrounding areas, and the atmosphere.
What is the cause of toxic waste?
Toxic Waste is formed is by leftover energy from Nuclear Power Plants. That energy is not used because it has no charge. Then it gets drained in the sewers. Now, scientists are trying to find out how to get rid of it in a safe way.
