Nuclear Energy: spitting radiation like Chernobyl

Another one of the topics I began researching in preparation for my extended essay with the IB program is the complications of nuclear energy. Everyone knows that nuclear energy has the capability of being a leading source of power with their efficiency. However, there is still large public animosity regarding its implementation. Let’s find out why. 

Firstly, how does nuclear energy even work? Nuclear power plants hold a nuclear reactor in the center, the powerhouse which creates the electricity. Nuclear power plants do this through a process called nuclear fission in which atoms split and release energy in the form of heat. This heat creates steam, just as steam is produced from hot tea or water. This steam then spins a turbine in the power plant which then creates electricity. 

Nuclear power, compared to other alternative sources, is known to be one of the most efficient. It produces an average capacity factor of 91% while coal is at 59% efficiency and wind is at a low 32% efficiency. Around 18% of today’s electricity comes from nuclear energy. Nuclear power also releases much fewer carbon dioxide emissions than other sources of energy, four times less than solar power. In fact nuclear energy saves our atmosphere from over 470 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. That number is equivalent to removing roughly 100 million passenger vehicles from our roads. 

The nuclear reactors use uranium as a fuel source. Uranium is typically packed together into tubes called nuclear fuel rods, which help the process of nuclear fission. Unfortunately, the majority of issues concerning nuclear energy has to do with these fuel rods. As the uranium fuel rods are used, the fission products remaining keep the rods highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years. Similar to the problem discussed in my first blog regarding electric vehicle batteries, nuclear fuel rods are incredibly difficult to dispose of safely. In fact, every nuclear power plant annually creates 20-30 tons of nuclear waste. 

Environmentalists typically disapprove of nuclear energy because of the first step in the process: uranium mining. Mining for uranium contaminates the environment with radioactive toxins and particles. It also creates significant health if people are exposed to emissions. 

Along with nuclear waste, another major reason nuclear power plants are feared is due to the possibility of disastrous radioactive accidents. Of course I could not write about nuclear power plants without mentioning the Chernobyl incident. As Jaden Smith put it in my favorite song ‘Ever Ninety’, “I spit that radiation like I’m Chernobyl.” In 1986 in the Soviet Union, a steam explosion from a faulty reactor design at the nuclear power plant released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the surrounding environment, leading to dozens of deaths and a complete evacuation of the city. The radioactive material in nuclear power plants and possibility of disaster is a huge concern for people living nearby which is why most people disapprove of nuclear energy. 

Fortunately, it is possible to recycle nuclear waste. When used, spent fuel rods are removed from assembly, they can be dissolved in nitric acid, removing the radioactive uranium and plutonium, which can be used as fuel in certain types of reactors. Countries like France and Japan have used plutonium recycling to create electricity. So why do we not use uranium recycling as much in the United States? The economical side shows that nuclear fuel recycling is more expensive than simply using and storing the excess uranium. Most corporations do not want to invest in the research and infrastructure needed to implement the repurposing process. 

Nuclear energy, although very efficient, obviously has its tradeoffs. I believe that nuclear energy can be used to replace fossil fuels and natural gasses under proper maintenance. A lot of the nuclear disasters in the past have been due to faulty technology or inexperienced workers. Ensuring that nuclear power plants are under proper supervision, with the right infrastructure would allow it to be the clean energy source of the future. Uranium mining, too, could be safer under the same premise. A future of investments into the fuel rod recycling process could allow for implementation into nuclear power plants throughout our country and make the process of generating nuclear energy far more efficient.