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Nuclear power is regarded as one of the cleanest sources of energy with low carbon emissions, but it nevertheless has faced resistance in some countries, as concerns still remain regarding radioactive waste, a by-product of nuclear energy that carries traces of radiation.
Waste includes materials such as radioactive elements, wood, clothing, and waste paper. To minimize the impact of these materials on the environment and prevent the release of toxic compounds into the atmosphere, radioactive waste is processed and stored by various methods:
incineration of liquid and solid wastes, followed by cementation, compaction and vitrification.
The
technology, created by scientists from the Russian Far Eastern Federal University in cooperation with the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, would help process dangerous solid nuclear materials in a more safe and effective way.
According to the university's
press release, the innovation is based on a new type of sorbents that effectively concentrate radionuclides from various substances and turn them into ceramics after a special method of heating.
© O.Shichalin, E.K.Papynova, et al
According to the release, such ceramics can not only secure the safe disposal of radioactive waste but can also be the basis of radioisotope products, as it is also a source of ionizing radiation.
"These products can be used for the space industry, medicine and various industries. For example, they are used in the production of medical devices, including X-ray machines, diagnostic installations based on the use of radioisotopes, equipment for radiation therapy. Ceramic materials are also used as the basis for electric current devices, such as 'nuclear batteries'," the release says.
In addition to that, the technology can also help effectively and safely purify contaminated water, as the scientists said that they managed to
"subdue" sorbents to a magnet. In water, composite sorbents "absorb" only radionuclides, and then, thanks to controlled magnets, harmful radioactive components are extracted from the liquid.
According to Artur Drankov, one of the authors of the study, sorbents in radiochemistry should not only be able to extract radionuclides from materials, but also ensure maximum safety when handling their spent forms.
"In this case, the formation of magnetic properties in efficient frame aluminosilicates makes it possible to control them in materials by applying a magnetic field. We can see a thorough collection and separation of the sorbent containing radionuclides from solid and liquid wastes in one stage, without any
risk of incomplete purification wastes that are to be subsequently disposed," he explained.
More Information:O.Shichalin, E.K.Papynova, et al., "Hydrothermal synthesis and spark plasma sintering of NaY zeolite as solid-state matrices for cesium-137",
Journal of the European Ceramic Society, doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2022.02.007
Reader Comments
I just don't think nuclear is worth it....very expensive capital wise, very expensive after the plants useful life is over, and there will be years of long-term waste even after the recycling is done. Then of course, there is always the risk of an accident. Scale matters. A big ole high cost nuclear plant is just too big for its own good I think - same goes for a big ole coal-fired unit. Coal is wasted in so many ways when it is used just for steam generation (or similar) in monstrous extraordinarily wasteful power plants......all the ash from coal could have been used for something better than cement and often it just gets dumped in a landfill - not to mention the SO2 and NOx liberated via high energy combustion - what a waste of old life.
I think small scale distributed generation is so much better in so many ways and it can be a combination of power sources including obviously combustion of "methane" (natural gas) as there is no way this can be avoided in the near term. Later on better ideas may emerge. Thermal energy has promise I think - especially if you live in Iceland!
Thanks,
Ken
So called renewable sources of power generation have just as much of a problem of waste disposal, given that wind blades are dumped in massive landfills and solar panels are made up of extremely toxic chemicals.