Question by Michelle: how do the french recycle their nuclear waste?
my chemistry teacher said that france does recycle 97% of their waste and i have some research to support that however i dont have the process.
Best answer:
Answer by Peter S
Upon its removal from French reactors, used fuel is packed in containers and safely shipped via train and road to a facility in La Hague. There, the energy producing uranium and plutonium are removed and separated from the other waste and made into new fuel that can be used again. The entire process adds about 6 percent in costs for the French.
France meets all of its recycling needs with one facility. Indeed, domestic French reprocessing only takes about half of La Hague’s capacity. The other half is used to recycle other countries’ spent nuclear fuel.
Since beginning operations, France’s La Hague plant has safely processed over 23,000 tones of used fuel—enough to power France for fourteen years.
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Peter is right.
Not only does this enormously reduce the waste problem, but it greatly extends the fuel since all the U238 gets used by conversion to Pu239, instead of having to rely on the small amounts of U235.
As to why the US doesn’t do likewise, search me.