China produces 3500 tons of nuclear waste a year and needs 2.13 million years of Water purification of the Yangtze River. How to solve this problem

Tech 2023-07-23 08:36:20 Source: Network

Before reading this article, please click onFollowIt is convenient to discuss and share with you, and you can also watch the next exciting article in a timely manner. Thank you very much for your attentionPicture and Text | Guanshan DaojiEditor | Guanshan DaojiprefaceWhat are the hazards of radiation from nuclear waste water to human health and the environment?As an energy and nuclear technology powerhouse, China produces 3500 tons of nuclear waste annually

Before reading this article, please click onFollowIt is convenient to discuss and share with you, and you can also watch the next exciting article in a timely manner. Thank you very much for your attention

Picture and Text | Guanshan Daoji

Editor | Guanshan Daoji

preface

What are the hazards of radiation from nuclear waste water to human health and the environment?

As an energy and nuclear technology powerhouse, China produces 3500 tons of nuclear waste annually. How do we handle it?

The issue of nuclear wastewater has always been a global concern, and the contaminated water discharge plan of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has once again sparked international controversy.

So, how should we approach this issue?

Is China in a leading position in nuclear waste treatment technology? What are the mainstream solutions at home and abroad?

Fukushima Nuclear Leakage Resurrects Waves

Recently, the Japanese government has taken out the hot potato "nuclear wastewater" and thrown it into the pot.

This time, they planned to discharge the radioactive wastewater leaked from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, but it immediately caused a lot of disdain.

Japan is simply burying the whole world!

Please, the sea is not from the same country as Japan. If sewage is discharged, the fish and shrimp from all directions will be exposed to radiation?

When it's time for you to cook in Oden, I'll make instant noodles and turn them into nuclear food. Japanese people can eat on their own, why harm us?

Moreover, the radioactive wastewater from Fukushima is not usually dirty. It contains various radioactive substances such as cesium, uranium, and plutonium, each of which can turn a stone into gold.

For example, cesium emits gamma rays, which have a strong penetrating power and can easily penetrate human skin tissue, causing damage to cellular DNA.

If a person is exposed to cesium for a long time, it is likely to cause cancer.

The absorption of cesium by aquatic organisms is even more harmful without any benefits, as it accumulates continuously in the body of fish, endangering their physical functions.

Another example is plutonium, which releases neutrons that can easily tear the double strands of DNA in human cells, causing cell death and gene mutation. Once exposed to this radiation, if you want to grow three heads and six arms, it may come true.

And the harm of radiation will not disappear due to dilution. Discharged into the sea, these radioactive substances will enter the food chain, continuously enriching and amplifying.

From algae and plankton to small and large fish, radiation accumulates in the body.

In the end, we ate these seafood, which was equivalent to directly absorbing nuclear radiation, and it was a near death.

In the long run, radiation can damage various systems of the human body. It can disrupt hematopoietic function, lead to a decrease in white blood cells, and lead to various bizarre diseases; It can also cause immune system disorders, and if you're not careful, you'll get AIDS.

The most terrifying thing is that it can induce cancer, and bone cancer and leukemia may come to your doorstep. What an endless disaster!

More seriously, radiation also has a destructive effect on the human reproductive system.

It can lead to a decrease in male sperm count, an increase in deformity rate, and women are more likely to experience infertility.

If the amount of radiation is large enough, our human Gene pool may be polluted, which is really a disaster!

Moreover, even if marine life suffers, we cannot be spared. Planktonic organisms, these microscopic organisms, absorb radiation and are fed by small fish. Small fish feed large fish, while large fish feed whales.

The entire food chain has been disrupted, and marine ecology is bound to become imbalanced. In the long run, the marine "forest" will be unsustainable, and our fishery resources will also face depletion.

Japan's move is simply beggar-thy-neighbor and incompatible! Various countries have expressed strong dissatisfaction and demanded that Japan withdraw this heinous plan.

There are still hidden concerns in China's current handling

As the most populous country in the world, China naturally consumes one of the top two sources of energy.Moreover, our country is actively developing nuclear power. With the construction of more and more nuclear power plants, the disposal of nuclear waste has become a major problem.

According to incomplete statistics,Nuclear power plants alone can generate 3500 tons of nuclear waste per year,This doesn't even include military industrial units, scientific research institutions, and so on. In addition, the annual amount of nuclear waste is definitely higher than that of Japan.

These nuclear waste materials pose a significant threat to human health, as excessive radiation can lead to cell necrosis and genetic mutations.

The most terrifying thing is that it may also trigger cancer, so it must be handled properly.

At present, the commonly used method in various countries is the deep underground method, and China is no exception.

This method sounds high-end, but it's actually digging a big hole and burying nuclear waste. However, the pit needs to be dug deep enough, usually over 100 meters, otherwise the surface radiation is too strong and people cannot survive.

The location should also be chosen well. The most suitable remote area is the one with eighteen winding mountain roads and chickens that do not lay eggs, which can minimize the impact on the environment and residents.

After digging the pit, a large iron bucket needs to be made of concrete and steel bars to load the nuclear waste into it. The iron bucket needs to be properly sealed to prevent the leakage of nuclear radiation.

Then operate the robot to slowly put the entire large iron bucket into the pit, and then fill it with concrete and bury it.

After the landfill is completed, a small house will be built on top of it, and various detection instruments will be installed to monitor the nuclear radiation index and surrounding environment in real-time.

In theory, after such treatment, nuclear waste is basically harmless and safe enough to be stored for at least 1000 years.

China has built underground storage facilities for nuclear waste in sparsely populated areas such as Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan.

It has been storing nuclear waste for decades, and there have been no radiation leaks so far. The safety is acceptable.

Of course, if one day the earth's crust changes, the pit ruptures, and nuclear sewage leaks out, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Therefore, the geological structure should also be considered when selecting the site of nuclear power plant, and it must not be built near the Seismic zone.

Many nuclear power plants in China are built along the coast, making it easier to dispose of nuclear waste and directly transport it to remote offshore locations for burial. But be careful not to pollute the ocean.

The disposal of waste at inland nuclear power plants is quite troublesome, and must be transported by dedicated railways for hundreds of kilometers. Any accident during the process may cause radiation leakage.

So it is best to choose a nuclear power plant along the coast, which is conducive to the transportation and treatment of nuclear waste.

But it should not be too close to avoid natural disasters such as tsunamis and hurricanes, which can indirectly cause radiation leakage and endanger marine life and human living environment.

China's annual production is so large that relying solely on underground treatment is obviously not enough, and more advanced technologies need to be developed.

This is also the inevitable development direction of nuclear waste disposal.

As a nuclear power, China has a responsibility to maintain the progress of this technology to ensure the safe disposal of nuclear waste.

New technologies for handling nuclear waste are currently difficult to implement

Of course, the deep burial method is not 100% perfect.

Although various geological assessments were conducted during the site selection, in the event of natural or man-made disasters such as landslides and earthquakes, the buried nuclear waste may still leak out, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

So, some scientists have proposed more advanced treatment plans. The most eye-catching ones are the "high-temperature oxidation method" and the "laser melting method".

The high-temperature oxidation method involves placing nuclear waste into a specially designed high-temperature container and reacting with a strong oxidant until the nuclear waste decomposes. This process has an extremely high temperature and can dissolve or vaporize radioactive substances.

But this requires advanced equipment and a large amount of energy as support. The container must reliably withstand extreme high temperatures while also preventing radioactive gas leakage.

Energy needs to be abundant enough to maintain the reaction at high temperatures.

The laser melting method is even more ruthless, as it uses a high-energy laser beam to irradiate nuclear waste, instantly melting it into harmless glassy substances.

This not only eliminates radiation risks, but also significantly reduces the volume of nuclear waste.

However, to completely melt nuclear waste, the energy consumption is astonishing.

At present, there is no country in the world that has enough ultra-high power lasers for commercial applications. At present, this technology still remains in theoretical exploration.

Both high-temperature oxidation and laser melting methods can provide better nuclear waste treatment results. However, considering the current technical conditions, their practical application still faces certain difficulties.

China leads the world in nuclear technology

Don't look at how bad Japan is doing, China has already led the world in nuclear waste disposal!

Although thousands of tons of nuclear waste are produced every year, Chinese scientists have opened their minds and developed multiple world-class processing technologies.

For example, the "Qimingming-2" technology can extract residual uranium from nuclear waste, greatly improving the efficiency of uranium utilization.

It turns out that not all of our nuclear fuel can be burned in the reactor, and there is still some unreacted uranium left.

Although these uranium have low activity, they still have radioactivity and must be properly handled.

The Qimingxing II technology can re extract these residual uranium and refine them into reactive uranium suitable for reuse.

This can fully tap into the energy potential of nuclear fuel and reduce waste.

Moreover, the process of Qimingming-2 is very environmentally friendly and will not generate secondary pollution. The extracted residue can be solidified through vitrification, greatly reducing its radiation hazards.

As a result, the fuel utilization efficiency of China's nuclear power plants has increased by more than 20%, which can be said to be a remarkable achievement. In addition, Chinese scientists are improving Nuclear fusion technology.

As we all know, the current commercial nuclear reactor releases energy through fission reaction. However, Nuclear fusion does not produce nuclear waste with a half-life, which can fundamentally solve the problem.

China has invested heavily in thermonuclear fusion reactors and other fields, and is leading the world in Nuclear fusion technology innovation.

Once successfully developed, the generation of nuclear waste can be completely reduced. It can be said that China has already stood at the forefront of nuclear waste disposal technology.

We are committed to improving the efficiency of existing nuclear fuel use while also focusing on breakthroughs in advanced technologies in the future.

This proactive spirit will surely make China a leader in this field.

In contrast, Japan's hasty and bitter strategy is beyond its means.

Countries are also aware of this gap and are eyeing China's technological strength with admiration.

So on the issue of nuclear waste, we have both the responsibility and the ability to act responsibly and contribute to the sustainable development of all humanity.

China will definitely lead nuclear waste disposal into a new era with technological innovation!

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