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Yes, but they also consume them. The uranium fuel used has a halflife measured in billions of years, the materials they produce have halflives measured in only hundreds or thousands of years. So in the long term balance of things they consume radioactive substances faster than they produce them.

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Radioactive metal used in nuclear power plants?

Uranium is the radioactive metal commonly used in nuclear power plants for fuel production. It undergoes fission reaction to generate heat, which is used to produce steam and generate electricity in nuclear reactors.


What radioactive material does power plants use?

Power plants typically use uranium as a radioactive material for nuclear energy production. The uranium undergoes a process called nuclear fission to generate heat, which is then used to create steam that drives turbines to produce electricity.


What kind of toxic waste produced nuclear energy?

Nuclear energy produces radioactive waste, which is a byproduct of nuclear reactions in power plants. This waste can include spent nuclear fuel, contaminated materials, and other radioactive substances, all of which require safe storage and disposal methods to prevent environmental and health risks.


What are nuclear materials?

Nuclear materials refer to substances that can undergo nuclear reactions, such as uranium and plutonium. These materials are used in nuclear power plants to generate electricity or in nuclear weapons for military purposes. Special precautions are needed in handling and storing nuclear materials due to their radioactive properties.


Do nuclear power plants pollute more than coal power plants?

No. Nuclear power is more efficient because nuclear power is used as splitting atoms, making big bursts of energy, whereas coal power is simply burning coal. So nuclear power uses uranium fission to create energy (electricity), whereas coal power burns coal, emitting carbon. (Mind you, nuclear energy leaves behind radioactive waste - that is arguably easier to deal with for the time being. Not to mention that accidents at nuclear plants can have devastating environmental effects.

Related Questions

Can you get power from the radioactive element Uranium?

Yes, the radioactive decay of Uranium-235 is used to produce power in nuclear power plants.


Which produces more radioactivity in the atmosphere coal fire power plants or nuclear power plants?

Coal-fired power plants produce more radioactive material in the atmosphere than nuclear power plants. This is because coal contains naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium and thorium that are released during combustion. Nuclear power plants produce radioactive waste, but the containment and storage of this waste is carefully managed to minimize its impact on the environment.


Radioactive metal used in nuclear power plants?

Uranium is the radioactive metal commonly used in nuclear power plants for fuel production. It undergoes fission reaction to generate heat, which is used to produce steam and generate electricity in nuclear reactors.


To produce energy nuclear plants use what process?

Nuclear plants use a process called nuclear fission to produce energy. This involves splitting atoms of radioactive material, usually uranium, which releases a large amount of heat energy. The heat is then used to produce steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity.


What radioactive material does power plants use?

Power plants typically use uranium as a radioactive material for nuclear energy production. The uranium undergoes a process called nuclear fission to generate heat, which is then used to create steam that drives turbines to produce electricity.


What is the use of radioactive substances as to heat and light?

Radioactive substances can be used to generate heat and light through a process called nuclear fission. When the nucleus of a radioactive atom splits, it releases energy in the form of heat and gamma radiation, which can be harnessed for various applications such as electricity generation in nuclear power plants or medical treatments like radiation therapy.


How is nuclear energy used beside in power plants?

Though power plants are, perhaps, the most important use of nuclear energy, there are a lot of others. Radioactive substances are used in for variety of industrial and technical functions. The most common of these is possibly the use of radioactive materials in smoke detectors. Also, nuclear emissions are used for measurement, such as of the thickness of things otherwise difficult to measure,, or for imaging. There are important uses for radioactive substances in medicine. Some of these are used for diagnosis, such as in imaging. Others are used in therapy. Also, whether we like it or not, nuclear energy is used in nuclear bombs.


What has the author Michael D Matheny written?

Michael D Matheny has written: 'QWATA documentation' -- subject(s): Dosage, Environmental aspects, Environmental aspects of Nuclear power plants, Nuclear power plants, Radiation, Radiation dosimetry, Radioactive pollution of water, Radioactive substances in rivers, lakes


What process do nuclear power plants use to produce energy?

Nuclear power plants produce energy through nuclear fission, which involves splitting atoms of uranium in a controlled chain reaction. This process generates heat that is used to produce steam, which drives turbines connected to generators to produce electricity. Nuclear energy is a low-carbon source of power but comes with risks related to radioactive waste and safety concerns.


From where radioactive wastes are produced?

By nuclear power plants


What kind of toxic waste produced nuclear energy?

Nuclear energy produces radioactive waste, which is a byproduct of nuclear reactions in power plants. This waste can include spent nuclear fuel, contaminated materials, and other radioactive substances, all of which require safe storage and disposal methods to prevent environmental and health risks.


What are nuclear materials?

Nuclear materials refer to substances that can undergo nuclear reactions, such as uranium and plutonium. These materials are used in nuclear power plants to generate electricity or in nuclear weapons for military purposes. Special precautions are needed in handling and storing nuclear materials due to their radioactive properties.