There are many proposed solutions to the issue of pollution, all sorts of types of alternate energy but there is a catch to all of them. Wind power is not consistent, solar power is inconsistent and expensive to build the necessary resources, geothermic can be a pollutant if not done right and is not long term, hydroelectric is expensive and needs a powerful flow of water, biofuels require a lot of natural resources and then hydrogen takes more to produce than it is currently worth. Then we come to the question of why not use nuclear energy? Nuclear energy has many advantages with two major disadvantages being the waste and health issues that come from producing the powerful energy.
With the current nuclear issues in Japan there is a focus on the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is created through the fission or fusion of atoms and the reaction developed from this action is used as energy. Nuclear energy is one of the most powerful and so not as many plants would be necessary for the desired amount of energy needed. Environmentally this energy is clean. After a plant closes, however, there still is the concern for waste. For years after a nuclear plant is shut down there needs to be guards surrounding the waste so none gets out. The waste cannot be transported to one location without fears of it being released on the way there, or the people in that location protesting against nuclear waste being stored there.
For some time now a Germany-wide project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) has been developing to find a geological repository for the waste. Recently there has been a breakthrough with using clay stone. This natural clay holds a great potential for hopes of permanently disposing of nuclear waste. Opalinus clay found in Switzerland was made into cylinders and in these was pore water with radioactive neptunium or plutonium. Chemists found, “The batch experiments show that radioactive plutonium in the oxidation state IV is nearly totally absorbed on Opalinus Clay, leaving almost no plutonium in the aqueous solution. In the case of neptunium (V), the corresponding ratio is 60:40. However, if neptunium is reduced to neptunium (IV) by iron minerals present in the clay, a near 100 percent sorption of neptunium on the clay is observed.” (Science Daily)
What this means is the clay is potentially a source of containment for the nuclear waste getting rid of that specific issue. With getting rid of the issue of waste leaves only the issue of a meltdown. Meltdowns leading to high or long term radiation can lead to certain cancers and respiratory issues. Health issues are an issue especially concerning the potential meltdown of a plant now seen in Japan and that can be seen in history as well. The area around Chernobyl, the site of a major 1986 nuclear meltdown, has just started being resettled in the last year. With this kind of consequence to a meltdown means major expenses. Another issue is the health dangers. Depending on the level of radiation released effects could be cancer and other dangerous issues. With these issues there is a controversy on using nuclear power. It is the most effective but can have some of the most dangerous long term consequences. So do we continue to use it or abandon the idea and focus on other means of energy?
Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110308075849.htm
4 comments:
I found a website that gives updates about the current situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. According to the site, the situation is still very serious, but it has improved. However, all of the area within 20km of the plant has been marked as a no-entry zone, as of April 22, 2011. Hopefully this situation will be remedied soon so that the citizens of Japan can go back to living their lives normally.
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html
I think it's really interesting how using nuclear power has become somewhat of a moral battle. People are questioning whether it's right to pursue nuclear power at the risk of its harmful consequences. There is the ever-present risk of a meltdown. Even without a meltdown, every plant has the dilemma of how/where they will store their nuclear waste. It's also interesting how this issue is so relevant in current events considering what happened in Japan. This article gives another update on what Japan is trying to do to combat the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi and how the crisis has initiated investigations in nuclear power plants in the US
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/17/serious_danger_of_a_full_core
Thank you for sharing valuable information.
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