Nuclear Re-processing
Nuclear re-processing is a technology and industrial process that is heavily regulated in the United States.
Contents
Definition
Nuclear reactors produce irradiated fuel rods as a waste product. This spent fuel can be re-processed. A substantial amount of plutonium can be separated and used as mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for further energy production. The unused uranium can be isolated and re-enriched. Further re-processing is possible but not commercially viable.
Altogether, re-processing increases the energy yield of nuclear fuel by ~25% and reduces the waste yield by ~80%.
Notably, short-term storage of the full waste yield is still required, because it is ideal to allow certain elements with short half-lives to complete their decay before beginning re-processing.
History
Research into methods for extracting plutonium from spent fuel were pioneered at Oak Ridge. Later reprocessing plants were built at the Savannah River Site and West Valley.
The La Hague Site in France has been continuously reprocessing spent fuel since 1976. There is a history of similar plants in the UK, Belgium, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, India, Pakistan, and Israel.
Following India's demonstration of nuclear weapons in 1976, Ford ordered a moratorium on commercial reprocessing and recycling. The next year, Carter banned it.
Reagan lifted the ban in 1981 but never reestablished the subsidy and funding programs.
The DOE began to fund an experimental facility at the Savannah River Site in 1999, and construction delays led to a half-built reactor without any buy-in from commercial partners.