Question

Tabulate and briefly describe the benefits and problems associated with recycling spent nuclear fuel.

Answer 1

Benefits:-

-Nuclear spent fuel reprocessing has the potential for great technical and societal benefits in the field of energy production.

-The small percentage of fission products account for most of the heat load in SNF, so separating the less radioactive uranium, plutonium, and other short lived isotopes would require only a small amount of waste (the fission products) to be transported and stored at the repository

-Given the high and rising oil prices and the potential for greenhouse gas regulation, the next generation of nuclear power is a viable technological solution

Problems:-

-Concern over creation and separation of fissile materials (especially plutonium 239) that can fuel atomic weapons
- Cost