Nuclear Waste Management
Beginning of paper
Nuclear energy harnesses the energy released during the splitting or
fusing of atomic nuclei. This heat energy is most often used to convert water
to steam, turning turbines, and generating electricity.
However, nuclear energy also has many disadvantages. An event that
demonstrated this was the t ....
Middle of paper
.... deaths is still unknown.
The same deadly radiation that was present in this explosion is also
present in spent fuels. This presents special problems in the handling, storage,
and disposal of the depleted uranium. When nuclear fuel is first loaded into a
reactor, 238U and 235U are present. When in the reactor, the 235U is gradually
depleted and gives rise to fission products, generally, cesium (137Cs) and
strontium (90Sr). These waste materials are very unstable and have to undergo
radi ....
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Word count: 1179
Page count: 5 (approximately 250 words per page)
