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High-level waste is the highly radioactive waste material resulting from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, including liquid waste produced directly in reprocessing and any solid material derived from such liquid waste that contains fission products in sufficient concentrations; and other highly radioactive material that is determined, consistent with existing law, to require permanent ...
The first large-scale nuclear reactors were built during World War II.These reactors were designed for the production of plutonium for use in nuclear weapons.The only reprocessing required, therefore, was the extraction of the plutonium (free of fission-product contamination) from the spent natural uranium fuel.
The advanced reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is a potential key to achieve a sustainable nuclear fuel cycle and to tackle the heavy burden of nuclear waste management. In particular, the development of such advanced reprocessing systems may save natural resources, reduce waste inventory and enhance the public acceptance of nuclear energy.
Some Swiss spent nuclear fuel has been sent for reprocessing in France and the United Kingdom; most fuel is being stored without reprocessing. An industry-owned organization, ZWILAG, built and operates a central interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, and for conditioning low-level radioactive waste and ...
This is particularly the case in bulk processes such as reprocessing, where large volumes of material (hundreds of Tonnes per annum) pass through the plant, often in liquid solution form." [18] Residual holdup, which refers to the nuclear material remaining in and around the process equipment and handling areas after operation, is also a problem.
Nuclear waste, either from civilian or military nuclear projects, remains a serious threat to the environment of Russia. [12] Reports suggest that there are few or no road signs warning about the polluted areas surrounding Lake Karachay. [13] This is exacerbated by historically poor responses to high-level nuclear accidents.
SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea has halted the nuclear reactor at its main atomic complex, probably to extract plutonium that could be used for weapons by reprocessing spent fuel rods, a South Korean ...
List of US Reprocessing Plants Name Location Fuel Type Procedure Status Reprocessing capacity (tHM/yr) Construction start date Operation date Closure Purpose Hanford Site: Washington: REDOX, PUREX: Shut down 1944 1988 Military Savannah River Site: South Carolina: LWR PUREX: Shut down 5000 1952 2002 Civil West Valley LWR PUREX: Shut down 300 ...