Re: Yucca Poll Sientific American

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 5/2/02 12:27:05 PM Mountain Daylight Time, Bud.Yard@state.tn.us writes:



> but as a long term solution and a possible alternative to Yucca, what are the pros and cons of reprocessing and pursuing transmutation technology?


Here's what I have come across in reading about these processes.:


Reprocessing -- removing fissile material from spent fuel and fabricating it into fresh fuel -- is a well-understood process (or actually, several different processes) that would certainly make more efficient use of the resource.  The process still produces very radioactive waste (high-level waste) because the fission products remain when the fissile material is removed.  However, the HLW from reprocessing must be treated (it's usually a solution) and either vitrification or putting the radioactive material in a ceramic matrix puts it in a form that is more stable for both transportation and ultimate disposal.  You would still need a repository, but most of the activity would have decayed after one to two thousand years, not ten thousand.  Note, however, that transprotation of spent fuel to the reprocessing facility would be about the same as to a repository -- I cannot see that more than one, or at most two, such facilities would be built.


Transmutation produces waste also but at this point is is at best a pilot process and the quantity of waste and its nature are not all that well known.  It is very energy intesive.  It is certainly a possibility.

Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com