2025 - Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
SIPS2025 Volume 7. Tanner Intl. Symp. / Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biotechnology
| Editors: | F. Kongoli, S. Buchmann, M. Bultmann, I. Karim, G. Kimura, G. Knipp, H. Leuenberger, M. Makanga, N. Menshutina, P. Swaan, H. Tarabishi |
| Publisher: | Flogen Star OUTREACH |
| Publication Year: | 2025 |
| Pages: | 177 pages |
| ISBN: | 978-1-998384-50-1 (CD) |
| ISSN: | 2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series) |
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TREATMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE OF FISSION REACT0RS
Hans Leuenberger1; Angelo Comunetti2;1UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, Orlando, United States; 2GEMPENSTRASSE 13, CH-4104, Oberwil, Switzerland;
Type of Paper: Plenary
Id Paper: 297
Topic: 73
Abstract:
Radioactive waste of fission reactors is a problem and needs special treatment for keeping it at a safe location, so that radioactive waste can decay without contaminating the environment. Radioactive waste is the product of the nuclear absorption of neutrons (n, g) in a fission nuclear power plant for achieving electricity without using fossil fuels releasing CO2. 1Interestingly, this nuclear reaction (n, g) can be reversed by inducing a photonuclear reaction (g, n) If the corresponding g - ray source is available. Interestingly, this g - ray source has to be in resonance with the original (n, g) reaction. Angelo Comunetti could show with his experiments that he could reverse the reaction (n, g) of 197Au->198Auand in addition induce (g, n) reactions of 197Au -> 196Pt. Thus, Angelo Comunetti started to doubt that Neutron Activation Analysis NAA is always working since his subsequent NAA showed that no more Au was present…
Interestingly, Angelo Comunetti also was able to demonstrate that he could induce the photonuclear reaction (g, n) in case of 24Na -> leading to 23Na and to (g, n) of 23Na leading to 22Na, respectively to the volatile 22Ne.
Conclusion: The original reaction (g, n) is reversible and it is feasible to transform the radioactive waste of fission power plants into non-radioactive waste, which does not need to be buried in a safe location.