NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL

In the wake of climate change and global warming, alongside the escalating demand for energy, lowering greenhouse gas emissions has become a global priority. As a result, nuclear technology has undergone a renaissance, finding favor with many countries. However, the question of radioactive waste, a byproduct of nuclear technology, challenges the concept of nuclear energy as an alternative to sustainable energy.

Nuclear waste, also known as spent fuel, is the byproduct of used nuclear fuel in a nuclear reactor.

The primary method of nuclear waste disposal in effect is storage of nuclear waste underwater in spent fuel pools. This is not the only way of nuclear waste disposal but the primary way sates such as the United States are dealing with nuclear waste. Dr. William Leiss, speaking on ways to manage nuclear waste said, “By far the safest option for the low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste is emplacement in a deep underground chamber in the sedimentary rock at the Kincardine site.”

Nuclear waste, which is 90% Uranium, is stored in steel lined concrete vaults or steel reinforced concrete containers. Bearing in mind the half-life of Uranium is 4.5 billion years, nuclear waste exists for centuries with the exception of being recycled. This necessitates the setting aside of permanent nuclear waste depository sites for nuclear waste. Such places are to exclusively store nuclear waste, and not anything else. Examining the concept of sustainability, future generations would have to deal with the challenges posed by stored spent fuel. Consequently, it would not be advisable for developing countries to venture into nuclear technology. The technology for nuclear waste recycling is not yet affordable nor reliable enough .

With nuclear technology, tremendous volumes of electricity can be generated within seemingly small spaces of land, much less than other energy sources such as solar power. To illustrate, a single Uranium pellet produces the same energy as would 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 149 gallons of oil or 1780 pounds of coal. However, the weight of global nuclear reactor tragedies such as The Chernobyl disaster cast a heavy shadow on nuclear energy as a sustainable source of energy.

As pointed in the study, the lack of cogent and tangible waste disposal mechanisms poses a threat of radioactivity. With many countries undertaking projects for construction of nuclear power plants in the near future, the reality is that nuclear energy is here to stay. The high risk, high reward perspective makes sense, most especially for growing economies which have high energy demands. Given the scale of nuclear disasters in comparison to other fossil fuels, nuclear disasters have evoked international restrain in terms of use of nuclear energy. 

In contrast to renewable forms of energy, the appeal of nuclear energy wanes. Bearing in mind the meaning of sustainable energy, nuclear power technology is constantly developing and therefore, it falls short of being a sustainable energy resource until the issue of nuclear waste disposal is addressed.