14 DAY TRIAL // Excess plutonium produced in large nuclear reactors has been a nuisance to get rid of or conceal ever since the first batches were produced in the 1940s. It degrades over many years and needs special storage conditions so as not to influence the soil it's buried in. Now, researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have found a way to render the potent material harmless, by simply adding a specific quantity of the Americium (Am 241) chemical element, in a process that will be detailed in the next month issue of the journal Science and Global Security.
If the United States, Russia, Germany, France and Japan agree to insert the new additive into their plutonium reserves, then the new technique could help numerous other countries develop nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes, without the threat of them going rogue and starting developing weapons from the chemical. They will simply not be able to do this, as the Americium will denature the plutonium to the point where it can only be used for a single application.
“When you purchase a nuclear reactor from one of the five countries, it also provides the nuclear fuel for the reactor. Thus, if the five agree to insert the additive into fuel for countries now developing nuclear power – such as Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen – they will have to use it for peaceful purposes rather than warfare,” BGU Department of Nuclear Engineering professor Yigal Ronen, who has been the leader of the new initiative, explains.
“Countries that purchase nuclear reactors usually give the spent fuel back to the producer. They wouldn't be able to get new plutonium for weapons if it is denatured, but countries that make nuclear fuel could decide not to denature it for themselves,” the scientist adds, saying that the new solution should have no problems in getting accepted by developed countries. These nations are currently on their toes because of the perceived threats they get from Iran and North Korea, which now appear to be developing their own nuclear programs.
If his proposed material is accepted by the group of five countries, other nations, including some in the Middle East, could soon rely on atomic energy for electricity production. And this would severely reduce their dependency on fossil fuels, thus helping them save the planet by emitting less carbon dioxide, the main gas responsible for global warming.