The Waste Transmuter

The Transmuter can be to transform into stable species of offending, long lived radio-isotopes as an alternative to Geological Storage. Environmental advantages of this method are evident.

This Waste Transmuter needs a much strong neutron source than the Activator (for medical applications). This is because the totally of the sample should be ideally transmuted. Even with the strongest neutron sources, the highest efficiency in neutron capture is essential to complete the elimination of radioactive waste. The Transmuter's method of enhanced captures makes practical this technique of elimination.

Nuclear Reactors (typically Light Water Reactors, LWR) produce a considerable amount of radioactive waste. The radiotoxicity of such waste persists over long time and presents a major drawback of the Nuclear Technology.

The most important contribution to the long lasting radiotoxicity comes from the Actinides other than Uranium (TRU). Also important for the elimination are the Fission Fragments (FF). Finally there are some activated materials, like the cladding of the fuel, which represent a much smaller problem and can be disposed without problems.

While the elimination of the TRU's is performed best burning them in a fast neutron driven Energy Amplifier, the Waste Transmuter can be used to transform the long lived FF's into harmless, stable nuclear species.

In the figure below, a list of possible elements to transform is provided:




A practical example:  Transmutation of Technetium 99.