0
Want this question answered?
Be notified when an answer is posted
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Transforming hazardous waste that takes thousands of years to become harmless?
Radioactive Wastes
What waste problems of nuclear power plants is NOT a problem with a coal-burning power plant?
Radioactive wastes that can last thousands of years
How long does radioactive waste stay poisionous?
nuclear waste is a never ending source of hurt for the environment. truly we should try to contain it for 500 to a thousand years as the waste it produces is deadly and can cause tumors or cancer.
What are potential problems of using nuclear energy?
Currently we do not have any good solutions for disposing of the nuclear waste, which will remain dangerously radioactive for thousands of years. Additionally, accidents and nuclear power plants can be catastrophic and can potentially make an area uninhabitable.
What is the purpose for nuclear waste?
Nuclear waste is an unfortunate by-product of the process of nuclear fission for the purpose of energy production. The spent fuel rods are "safely" stored and sequestered, but will remain dangerous for thousands of years. As far as I know, there is no "purpose" for nuclear waste, other than to convince people that they do not want a power plant in their backyard. The theoretically possible process of nuclear fusion (which is how the sun works) would produce less radioactive material and waste.
How long will a material from a power plant remain radioactive?
All radioactivity decays with time. Some fission products from uranium fission will remain active for thousands of years, others decay to insignificance within a few years.
Are some nuclear wastes stored for centuries to prevent dangerous radioactivity from escaping?
Yes. Some radioactive waste, like spent nuclear fuel, remains highly radioactive for thousands of years. Attempts were made to reprocess the spent fuel, but it is extremely dangerous and it is not very cost effective in many cases to do so. There are other forms of radioactive waste generated every day, but we work at being careful about what we generate to avoid having to store it. But the problem with nuclear fuel is a major one. Spent fuel is far and away the major contributor to high level radioactive waste in the world. Consider that 235U and 239Pu are the most common nuclear fuels. When they fission, they leave behind fission products. (The atom of fissile material "split in two" and there are a pair of fission fragments. Different pairs of fragments are possible.) With either fuel, there are over a dozen fission products from the fission process that have a half-life measured in thousands of years. There are a lot of fission products in the spent fuel, they are highly radioactive, and the remain highly radioactive for thousands of years after use. We can't just throw them away.
Do nuclear power stations give out clean waste?
No, the waste is radioactive and has to be stored and cooled for thousands of years to come. Research is being done into firing neutrons at the waste to deradiate them. this is a good answer. good job. i never knew that. i learn stuff everyday :D
How does the half-life of a radioactive waste affect the types of container in which the waste will be stored?
The longer the half-life of radioactive waste, the more consideration will have to be given to the design and construction of the container in which it is stored. This as well as where the container itself is stored. If we look at spent fuel from nuclear reactors, this highly radioactive and extremely long-lived radioactive waste will have to have a most substantial container. The storage container will have to last for many hundreds of years. Low level radioactive waste can be put up in less substantial containers and simply buried in an approved manner at an approved facility.
Would radioactive waste still remain dangerous after millions of years?
No. Short-lived isotopes will disappear by then; some long-lived isotopes may survive, but they will have a low level of radiation.
How can radioactive waste be disposed of safely?
The typical process of removing radioactive waste is isolating the waste until it is no longer harmful to the environment. However this time period differs vastly from hours to millions of years.
Do radioactive isotopes need thousands of years to decay?
Half-lives of radioactive isotopes are between several nanoseconds and more than 10e22 years.
