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How does a sample of radioactive waste decay to a nonhazardous level?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
All radioactive material has a characteristic half-life. This is a period during which half the matter from the original mass will have decayed into a daughter element. Either the daughter element is non-radioactive and therefore non-hazardous or it is radioactive and has its own half-life. The total radioactivity thus reduces over time and at some stage is deemed to reach a non-hazardous level.
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
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What type of radioactive decay removes a helium nucleus and has a very low enegry level?
A helium nucleus - more precisely, a helium-4 nucleus - is called an alpha particle. The corresponding decay would be called alpha decay.
What are radioactive waste disposal methods?
the methods of radioactive waste disposal varies by the waste form (solid, liquid. gaseous) and the radioactivity level (low, intermediate, high). Primarily; three methods are applied:delay and decay: to maintain waste in tanks for some periods of time to allow decay of radioactivity and then to be disposed of to environment.dilute and disperse: to dispose to environment (through dilution and dispersion, incineration) as ocean, sea, atmosphere, etc.contain and concentrate: This is used mainly for high level radioactive waste as spent fuel or the spent fuel reprocessing products; either in wet storage, dry storage, or vitrifies waste
What are the methods of disposing radioactive waste?
the methods of disposing radioactive waste depend on:the waste physical form (solid, liquid. gaseous) andthe radioactivity level (low, intermediate, high).Primarily; three methods are applied:delay and decay: to maintain waste in tanks for some periods of time to allow decay of radioactivity and then to be disposed of to environment.dilute and disperse: to dispose to environment (through dilution and dispersion) as ocean, sea, atmosphere, etc.contain and concentrate: This is used mainly for high level radioactive waste as spent fuel or the spent fuel reprocessing products; either in wet storage, dry storage, or incineration&containment in barrels, or vitrified waste.
Are Nuclear wastes non biodegradable?
Actually, they are biodegradeable, sort of. Radioactive materials do decay, or become weaker over time. Eventually they become inert, or non-radioactive. The problem is some radioactive isotopes take tens or even hundreds of thousands or millions of years to decay. The decay rate of a radioactive element is measured in half-lives. After one half-life, half of the radioctivity is gone. Take an element with a half-life of ten years. After ten years, there is half of the radioactivity present. After 20 years, one quarter, after 30 years, one eighth, and so forth. Eventually the level will fall to the point it poses no danger. Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,000 years. Uranium-235, used in nuclear reactors, has a half-life of 713,000,000 years.
How do you dispose cobalt 60?
Low level radioactive wastes containing cobalt-60 must be kept totally isolated from the environment for approximately 100 years, to allow them to effectively fully decay to nonradioactive products.One way of doing this would be to:if the waste is not already completely solid, convert it to solid formcast the solid low level radioactive waste inside concrete cylindersin an approved hazmat disposal site, pour a concrete pad inside a well built waste storage buildingplace the concrete cylinders containing the low level radioactive waste on this concrete padcover the concrete cylinders with layers of different materials to prevent the flow of rainwater through the wastes
How does the length of the half-life of the element correspond to the radioactivity of the element?
The length of time required for half of a sample of radioactive material to decay
What is the average time for a radioactive sample to decay to a safe level?
Radiation decays at a set rate. For example, if the level of radiation today is 5000, then in 1000yrs, it'll be a level of 2500. In 5000yrs, it'll be a level of 2000 and so and so on. The radiation in Chernobyl and Japan will remain there for hundreds, if not thousands and thousands of years. Because of this rate of decay that slows over time, depending on the size of the radioactive sample, it could take decades.
What does the half life of a radioisotopes indicate?
The half life of a radioisotope indicates the rate of decay for a radioactive sample
Are radioactive dating and radioactive decay the same?
Flying a kite is not the same as the wind blowing, but you need one for the other. Radioactive decay is not the same as radioactive dating, but you need the decay to get the date. Radioactive isotopes each of a characteristic decay rate and if one knows the amount of such an isotope in an object when it was created, the level of radioactivity decreases predictably with age and one can calculate the age by knowing the decrease. Radioactive decay is good for a lot of other things too, just like the wind.
What type of radioactive decay removes a helium nucleus and has a very low enegry level?
A helium nucleus - more precisely, a helium-4 nucleus - is called an alpha particle. The corresponding decay would be called alpha decay.
How can a radioactive substance can be made safe?
It needs to be kept somewhere secure to decay, this can take many years for high level waste, or a few months for low level
On the atomic level what causes an electromagnetic wave to be emitted?
On any level the movement of charge carriers (electrons, protons etc) cause EM radiation to be emitted. Gamma rays are also emitted as the result of some radioactive decay reactions All radioactive decay reactions produce EM radiation of some kind because they involve the movement of charge carriers such as the ejection of alpha particles (double positive charge).
How do radioactive elements produce their own energy?
The energy released in a radioactive decay arises because the nucleus is moving from one energy level to a lower energy one. The link below gives a good outline explanation in the Explanation section.
What is level 5 Xgerms?
radioactive germs level
What are radioactive waste disposal methods?
the methods of radioactive waste disposal varies by the waste form (solid, liquid. gaseous) and the radioactivity level (low, intermediate, high). Primarily; three methods are applied:delay and decay: to maintain waste in tanks for some periods of time to allow decay of radioactivity and then to be disposed of to environment.dilute and disperse: to dispose to environment (through dilution and dispersion, incineration) as ocean, sea, atmosphere, etc.contain and concentrate: This is used mainly for high level radioactive waste as spent fuel or the spent fuel reprocessing products; either in wet storage, dry storage, or vitrifies waste
How long does it take a 200 gram sample of carbon-14 to decay to a mass of 100 grams?
About 5700 years. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5700 years, and the question is asking how long for 200 grams to become 100 grams. That is half, so the answer is 5700 years. It will take another 5700 years for the mass to further decay to 50 grams, and another 5700 years to decay to 25 grams.
What are the methods of disposing radioactive waste?
the methods of disposing radioactive waste depend on:the waste physical form (solid, liquid. gaseous) andthe radioactivity level (low, intermediate, high).Primarily; three methods are applied:delay and decay: to maintain waste in tanks for some periods of time to allow decay of radioactivity and then to be disposed of to environment.dilute and disperse: to dispose to environment (through dilution and dispersion) as ocean, sea, atmosphere, etc.contain and concentrate: This is used mainly for high level radioactive waste as spent fuel or the spent fuel reprocessing products; either in wet storage, dry storage, or incineration&containment in barrels, or vitrified waste.
