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Essay on high level radioactive waste management
Essay on high level radioactive waste management
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Should South Australia Host a High-Level Nuclear Waste Dump?
Nuclear waste is radioactive material that is produced as a common by-product of the operation of nuclear power generation and any additional applications of nuclear technology. Nuclear (Radioactive) waste is hazardous to the environment as well as living organisms and is strictly regulated by certain government agencies to protect the world from the risks of this waste. However, nuclear technology can also be a good thing as it is used in smoke alarms and radiotherapy to cure cancer (Brainiac75, 2012). Radioactive waste decays naturally over specific periods depending on the types of radioactive material that the waste is composed of. Radioactive waste has materials that are unstable due to a differing number of neutrons. The neutron is ejected out the nucleus and can produce radiation in the form of an electron formed by a neutron; there are also other types of radiation such as alpha (fast helium atoms) or gamma rays (Black Cat Systems, n.d). Therefore, nuclear waste
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This act must be abolished or altered to proceed with any construction of a waste facility. Furthermore, the federal government must be informed and approve the construction of such a structure. However, these setbacks can be remedied and do not stop the possibility of hosting such a nuclear waste disposal facility. A benefit that may not be evident can have the possibility of saving money by generating electricity from other countries waste by the construction of a nuclear power
The Lowry Landfill Superfund Site is located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, approximately 2 miles east of Aurora. It consists of approximately 507 acres of waste disposal area and is operated by Waste Management of Colorado, Inc. The land surrounding the site consists of native prairie grass and a wetland located along a local creek. Sections around the site are zoned for agricultural use including cattle grazing and non-irrigated wheat farms. 1 The area is home to numerous endangered species including the bald eagle and peregrine falcon. Due to the large amounts of wastes disposed on the site between 1965 and 1980, it became extremely contaminated with a variety of inorganic and organic contaminants. From 1984 to 1993, the EPA oversaw remedial investigation and feasibility studies that were performed by all responsible parties. Since its listing as a superfund site in 1984, multiple remedial actions have been performed in order to rehabilitate the site. These include clay barrier walls around the site, a groundwater collection system, a soil cover for the main landfill, as well as a landfill gas collection system. Groundwater that is collected on the site is treated at an onsite water treatment facility. In 2007, construction began on an onsite gas to energy plant that utilizes the methane produced by the landfill site. The electricity produced by the plant is enough to power 3000 households. 1 Today, use of land and groundwater on and near the site is still restricted by the state of Colorado.1
waste to be formed. This waste is very dangerous since it remains radioactive for hundreds of
Outer islands have dumpsters that are used for trash generated by workers. Most outer island work is occasional and involves few individuals; therefore waste generation is minimal. Dumpsters from Illeginni, Legan and Carlos are replaced at least quarterly, and more frequently if barge transportation is available. Wastes are shipped to the Kwajalein Solid Waste Management Yard for segregation, incineration, and/or landfilling as needed. Dumpsters from Gagan are transported to Roi-Namur for disposal. When special projects take place on these or other outer islands, additional dumpsters and waste receptacles are delivered and used as needed. Wastes from construction projects are removed from the islands at the conclusion of the projects or during the project as needed. No wastes are disposed on these islands with the exception of green wastes which are left to decompose naturally.
“Radioactive Waste Management.” World Nuclear Association. World Nuclear Association. Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. << http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Nuclear-Fuel-Cycle/Nuclear-Wastes/Radioactive-Waste-Management/>>.
The filmmaker uses dramatic filmmaking techniques when making the documentary wasteland, following memorable characters as they transform through the journeys that grant access inside closed worlds. Vik Muniz outlines the real life journey represented in the documentary the wasteland, demonstrating how art transforms the artist. As he interviews the the pickers allowing the viewers to look beyond the art and how the film explores society downgrades and the purpose and power of art. Wasteland which is a documentary based around the lives of garbage pickers created by Muniz as he intended to inform people on the harsh reality of the landfill. Throughout history, society has tried to understand why some people are dealt a fairer set of cards,
There is currently 45,000 tons of spent nuclear material sitting in sites across the country, a number that is expected to double by the year 2035 (Kallen, 2005). Radioactive waste material comes in two forms: low-level waste and high-level waste. Low-level
The film touched on the sheer amount of waste that was produced and how the waste was being stored. Specifically, they mentioned that all the fuel rods that have been disposed of since the first nuclear power plant began in the United States, would only fill up a football filled if stacked three meters high. In continuation of the talk about the amount of waste being produced, the documentary talked about this waste can and will be used by the fourth generation of reactors as a source of fuel. The storage of the waste did not provide any interesting fact to help sway the argument besides the standard fact that the waste containers are stored near the plants and are monitored to ensure that no radiation is leaking from the
While all power-generating processes produce waste, many experts argue that the leftovers from the nuclear powering process are not waste. First off, there must be an understanding of the nuclear process to know what the leftovers actually are. William Tucker, one of the leading non-industry experts on nuclear power, stated in his 2009 article “There is no such thing as nuclear waste” that “A nuclear fuel rod is made up of two types of uranium: U-235, the fissionable isotope whose breakdown provides the energy; and U-238 which does not fission and serves basically as packing material.” These rods, used for around five years, generate enough energy to power a city the size of San Francisco without causing any chemical transformations or carbon-dioxide emissions (Tucker, 2009). Tucker is just one of the experts that argue that nuclear waste is not waste, as is Patrick Moore. Moore informs his readers that it is incorrect to call used nuclear fuel waste. This statement stems from the fa...
Kai Erikson argues that radiation and other forms of radioactive waste are a new species of trouble (Erikson, 1994). Nuclear waste disposal is a pressing issue of extreme importance. Nuclear waste is material that either contains a radioactive substance or has been contaminated by radioactive elements and is no longer useful. With all of the dangers surrounding nuclear waste and a half-life of one hundred thousand years this issue must be solved with complete certainty. Any mistakes or miscalculations can destroy the environment.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was established to protect communities and resource conservation. The statute's regulatory target is to regulate the "generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste." Under RCRA, land disposal of wastes would be safer than it had previously been. The statute establishes a statutory structure that identifies and lists hazardous wastes, cradle-to-grave tracking system, standards for both generators and transporters of hazardous wastes, operators of the treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) facilities, as well as a permit system to enforce these standards and procedures for states to administer these permits. RCRA has become the statute that prevents waste disposal
It is imperative to note that both the man made and the natural activities that take place in the world are susceptible to disasters. The disasters and hazards that take place are normally categorized into several divisions. They include the technological, regional, and the man made events that can interfere with the composition of the environment (Doody, 2014). At that point, it was necessary for the disposal of these hazardous wastes to take place thus leading to the pollution of the environment. As such, it was important for the hazardous waste to be managed in an appropriate manner to minimize these effects. Under this process, the reuse of hazardous wastes in civil engineering applications was one of the ways that would be useful in minimizing the effect on the environment. The objective of the paper is to study various methods that can be used in the management of hazardous wastes in civil engineering applications.
Despite the many environmental mishaps that has caused much agitation amongst general population, there are also many benefits which can ultimately boost Australia’s economy. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is supporting the creation of a nuclear fuel industry in Australia, which has many experts predicting profits nearing 35 billion dollars for South Australia. Each year on average, nuclear power plants generate a revenue of around $420 million dollars in economic value. And the operation of nuclear power plants provides 400-700 permanent jobs. And construction of the plant would create around 3,000 jobs.
rate. A half-life can be less than a second or can be thousands of years long.
Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material put into the atmosphere after a nuclear blast. Many do not understand the lasting effects these particles have on human health and the environment. If these elements cause the problems that scientists say they do, then why would we continue to use them? The lasting effects of the fallout on the human body and the environment outweighs the good these resources and elements are used for.
In India, according to the Ministry of Environment and Forests "municipal solid waste" includes commercial and residential wastes generated in municipal or notified areas in either solid or semi-solid form excluding industrial hazardous wastes but including treated bio-medical wastes. In simple words the municipal solid waste can be defined as the waste that is controlled and collected by local authority and municipality.