How is plutonium disposed of?

The Nuclear Control Institute supports the alternative approach of directly disposing of the plutonium as waste. This approach “immobilizes” plutonium by combining it with highly radioactive waste in the form of glass logs (a method called “vitrification”).

What happens to plutonium when it decays?

Plutonium is not a stable element. As plutonium decays, it releases radiation and forms decay products. For example, the decay products of plutonium-238 and plutonium-239 are uranium- 234 and uranium-235. The decay process continues until a stable, non-radioactive decay product is formed.

How is plutonium destroyed?

In a decision certain to create controversy, the Energy Department will announce today that it plans to use two interim methods to dispose of 50 tons of surplus nuclear weapon plutonium: burning it in nuclear reactors, and encasing it in glass and burying it underground, according to a Clinton administration official.

How does plutonium 238 change over time?

That happens when the element emits radiation (such as alpha particles) and decays into a lighter element. Pu-238 has a half-life of 87.7 years, making it a much longer-lasting source of energy than polonium-210, which was used in the 1959 RTG prototype and has a half-life of 138 days.

What happens to uranium once it is used in a reactor?

Used reactor fuel is removed from the reactor and stored, either to be reprocessed or disposed of in deep geological repositories. The uranium orebody contains both U-235 and (mostly) U-238. About 95\% of the radioactivity in the ore is from the U-238 decay series.

Does plutonium decompose?

Pu decays to 238U through alpha decay; will also decay by spontaneous fission.

Why was plutonium kept a secret?

The discovery of plutonium was kept secret until 1946 because of World War II. Where did plutonium get its name? It was named after the dwarf planet Pluto (which was considered a full planet at the time). This followed from the tradition started when uranium was named after the planet Uranus.

Why does NASA use plutonium?

Radioisotope power systems convert heat from the natural radioactive decay of the isotope plutonium-238 (used in a ceramic form of plutonium oxide) into electrical power to operate the computers, science instruments, and other hardware aboard NASA missions such as the Curiosity rover on Mars and the New Horizons …

Which is worse plutonium or uranium?

Plutonium-239, the isotope found in the spent MOX fuel, is much more radioactive than the depleted Uranium-238 in the fuel. Plutonium emits alpha radiation, a highly ionizing form of radiation, rather than beta or gamma radiation.