Chemical Technologies for Closing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle

• Published in: Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vol. 91; no. 3; pp. 274 - 283
• Main Authors: Myasoedov, B. F., Kalmykov, S. N., Shadrin, A. Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01-05-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Chemistry/Food Science; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Energy balance; Energy sources; Engineering; Environment; Greenhouse gases; Isotopes; Life Sciences; Nuclear energy; Nuclear fuel cycle; Nuclear fuels; Radioactive wastes; Radioisotopes; Scientific Session of the General Meeting of RAS Members “75 Years of the Nuclear Industry: the Contribution of the Academy of Sciences”; Social Sciences; Transmutation; purex process; nuclear fuel cycle; minor actinides
• ISSN: 1019-3316; 1555-6492
• DOI: 10.1134/S1019331621030114

Nuclear power is a highly concentrated energy source that does not emit greenhouse gases and does not affect the climate. In the future, it should hold a significant share in the world energy balance, but this possibility is realized only if the technological problems of closing the nuclear fuel cycle like minimizing the radioactive waste generated and multi-recycling of fissile isotopes are solved. This will make it possible to solve both ecological and economic problems, moving away from deep disposal of long-lived radionuclides to their transmutation, followed by near-surface disposal of short-lived radionuclides.