Le energia atomic e le periculo de controlar su residuos radioactive

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

Post le construction del prime bombas atomic, le Statos Unite contemplava le possibilitate de usar le calor del fission nuclear pro producer electricitate. On credeva que iste fonte de energia esserea mundissime e tan abundante e economic que il non esserea necesse metrar lo.

Post un periodo breve, on discoperiva que le residuos radioactive producite per le centrales atomic generante electricitate esseva mesmo plus periculose que qualque residuos chimic.

Le residuos de centrales nuclear se produce de diverse manieras. Quando le combustibile nuclear continite in virgas inserite in reactores arriva al fin de su vita utile, il ha un residuo de alte radioactivitate potentissime. Iste virgas exhaurite etiam genera lor proprie calor, e on debe poner los en enorme depositos de aqua, ubi illos lentemente deveni minus calide.

Le aqua que los contine eventualmente deveni radioactive. Ben que le nivello de radioactivitate de iste aqua es assatis reducite, illo pote esser periculose. On sovente lo discarga in nostre oceanos, e il es difficile determinar su effectos eventual sur le ambiente marin.

Alicun paises considera iste virgas inutilisabile e los confina in depositos de diverse tipos. Altere paises, inter illos Francia, los processa pro extraher le residuos fissile que remane in illos.

Iste processo involve un banio de acido potente que los dissolve e permitte que on recupera le residuos de uranio e plutonio utilisabile que illos contine. Postea on immagazina le acido e le residuos radioactive non recuperabile in cisternas special pro esser transformate eventualmente a in blocos vitrificate.

Vitrificate o immagazinate in cisternas, iste residuos remane periculosemente radioactive durante milles de annos. Le forma habitual de disembarassar se de illos es interrar los. Residuos de basse radioactivitate on incapsula in recipientes metallic e los mitte in fossatos de pauc profunditate. Cata pais usa locos differente pro iste fin, como, pro exemplo, abandonate minas de sal o ferro o confinamentos subterranee construite specialmente pro continer los.

On anque poterea interrar los in fossas marine profunde. Iste methodo permitterea que con le tempore iste residuos radioactive arrivara al nucleo del terra como consequentia de movimentos del cortice terrestre. Ma iste residuos deberea remaner multe tempore in le profunditates del mar e interim illos contaminarea le aqua que los circumfere.

Le methodo nunc preferite es le internamento subterranee. Nonobstante, in le caso de seismos sever, de erosion del solo, o del corrosion del recaptaculos que contine iste substantias periculose, il es ben possibile que il habera fugas de iste substantias radioactive con le possibilitate consequente de sever disastros al systemas ecologic que los circumfere.

---

Atomic Energy and the Danger of Controlling its Radioactive Waste

After the construction of the first atomic bombs, the United States contemplated the possibility of using the heat from nuclear fission to produce electricity. It was believed that this source of energy would be very clean and so cheap and abundant that it would not be necessary to meter it.

After a short time, people discovered that the radioactive waste produced by atomic power plants was even more dangerous than some chemical waste.

The waste from nuclear plants is produced in various ways. When the nuclear fuel contained in rods inserted into reactors arrives at the end of its useful life, there is a residue of very high-level radioactivity. These exhausted fuel rods also generate their own heat, and they must be put into enormous pools of water, where they cool off slowly.

The water that they are contained in eventually becomes radioactive. Though the level of radioactivity of this water is somewhat reduced, it can be dangerous. It is often pumped into our oceans, and it is difficult to determine its eventual effects on the marine environment.

Some countries consider these fuel rods unusable and store them in various kinds of deposits. Other countries, France among them, process them to extract the fissile residue that remains in them.

This process involves a strong acid bath that dissolves and allows the recovery of the residues of uranium and plutonium that they contain. Afterwards, the acid and the non-recoverable radioactive waste are stored in special tanks, to be transformed eventually into glass-like blocks.

Whether vitrified or stored in tanks, these residues remain dangerously radioactive for thousands of years. The usual way of disposing of them is to bury them. Mildly radioactive waste is encapsulated in metal canisters and is buried in shallow ditches. Each country uses different places for this purpose, such as, for example, abandoned salt or iron mines or subterranean storage areas constructed especially to house them.

They can also be buried in deep marine trenches. This method would allow this radioactive waste, in time, to reach the earth's mantle as a result of movements in the earth's crust. But this waste would remain for a long time in the depths of the sea and in the meantime it would contaminate the water surrounding them.

The currently preferred method is underground burial. Nevertheless, in case of severe earthquakes, soil erosion, or corrosion of the receptacles that contain these dangerous substances, it is quite possible that some of this radioactive waste will be released into the surrounding soil, with the consequent possibility of severe disasters to the ecological systems surrounding them.