Topic: recent developments in technology neutralize radioactive waste (Read 1763 times)

Stormbringer · « **on:** August 13, 2006, 06:50:23 am »

http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/10/7/13/1

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Professor Rolfs added “We are currently investigating radium-226, a hazardous component of spent nuclear fuel with a half-life of 1600 years. I calculate that using this technique could reduce the half-life to 100 years.

http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=6181

http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/7/8/8

Lasers tackle radioactive waste
13 August 2003

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One of the biggest challenges facing the nuclear industry today is the storage and disposal of waste that will remain radioactive for millions of years. One approach to this problem involves bombarding the waste with neutrons to speed up the decay of long-lived isotopes into nuclei with much shorter half-lives. However, physicists in the UK and Germany have now demonstrated a new laser-driven approach to “transmutation” by converting iodine-129, which has a half-life of 15.7 million years, into iodine-128. The half-life of this lighter isotope is just 25 minutes (K Ledingham et al. 2003 J. Phys. D36 L79).

Sirgod · « **Reply #1 on:** August 13, 2006, 09:00:04 am »

Just read the first link, that's pretty amazing stuff. I like Rolfs ecxample of "simple " terms. If it wern't for us trekkies, we wouldn't be able t okeep up with that article.

stephen

Stormbringer · « **Reply #2 on:** August 13, 2006, 09:18:38 am »

i think the first time i saw this predicted was on the old BSG series. when they offered to tech earth how to do that in exchange for aid against the Cylons in one of the movies.

Sirgod · « **Reply #3 on:** August 13, 2006, 10:16:03 am »

I remember that now that you mentioned it. I think it was when they had all the kids on the planet. what was it, Galactaca 1980 or something like that?

Stephen

Stormbringer · « **Reply #4 on:** August 13, 2006, 10:51:41 am »

yaaK!

Sirgod · « **Reply #5 on:** August 13, 2006, 11:02:07 am »

well, to me It was still better then that Stupid robot dog on the original show.

Stephen

Stormbringer · « **Reply #6 on:** August 13, 2006, 11:16:25 am »

Quote from: Stephen NCC -73070 on August 13, 2006, 11:02:07 am

well, to me It was still better then that Stupid robot dog on the original show.

Stephen

True. no Doctor Who's K-9 was a cool robot dog. muffet was a ghey dog.

E_Look · « **Reply #7 on:** August 13, 2006, 05:38:30 pm »

Stormbringer is back bringing scientific and engineering storms! Yay!

The technique sounds very good scientifically; but in terms of engineering- uh, how much is this going to cost??

Javora · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2006, 07:03:53 am »

Good maybe now the US can go back to Nuclear power plants. Those natural gas plants that is all the rage right now is such a waste of a limited resource. I remember way back when I worked for a power company, people were complaining about natural gas plants back then. We understood the need to keep the air clean but from the way it was explained to me, it takes far more natural gas by volume then it does other type of fuel to create the same amount of energy.

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