Three Options For Nuclear Waste Disposal

Three Options For Nuclear Waste Disposal

Three Options For Nuclear Waste Disposal

As of 2008, 104 power plants were licensed to operate using Nuclear material for the generation of energy in the United States. With the price of oil always in flux, nuclear energy has taken to the headlines in the past few years. Many pundits are pushing for the nation to increase it's reliance on nuclear energy, where we already consume 806.2 TWh of nuclear generated energy, accounting for 19.6% of our energy consumption.

Nuclear waste is a hot button issue in the United States, because radioactive material does not decompose naturally and causes numerous health issues when people come in contact with it.

Three options currently exist in disposing of waste. The first, deep ocean disposal, involves enclosing the material in a heavy glass container that is leak proof, and enclosing that in a waterproof metal container and disposing of these containers at the bottom of an ocean.

While this process is claimed to be safe, many scientists and engineers speculate that at least a minimal amount of material leaks out.

A second option is deep geological disposal, which involves packaging the radioactive material in a container similar to the containers used in deep ocean disposal, and storing them and comes with it's own issues. Storage is intended to safeguard the material for anywhere between 100,000 - 1,000,000 years and there are a variety of safety issues to consider when storing such materials in one location for so long.

The third option involves, using a nuclear recycling facility to separate the material into different compounds with different levels of radioactivity, and when possible, recycling the materials for reuse, and at worst, reducing the half life of the material which will speed up the time it takes for the material to decay. This option is used less frequently due to the lack of facilities around the world, and the expensive cost of building facilities and completing the process.

As we've shown, each method has it's potential pitfalls, but one thing is for certain. Transporting and storing radioactive materials is all about the containment. When dealing with the possible outcomes of leaks and spills, making sure containment devices are as secure as possible.

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