title: Rethinking nuclear fuel recycling.
abstract: Spent nuclear fuel contains plutonium which can be extracted and used in new fuel. To reduce the amount of long-lived radioactive waste, the U.S. Department of Energy has proposed reprocessing spent fuel in this way and then "burning" the plutonium in special reactors. But reprocesssing is very expensive. Also, spent fuel emits lethal radiation, whereas separated plutonium can be handled easily. So reprocessing invites the possibility that terrorists might steal plutonium and construct an atom bormb. The authors argue against reprocessing and for storing the waste in casks until an underground repository is ready.
authors.affiliation: Princeton University, Program on Science and Global Security, USA.
authors.forename: Frank N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: von Hippel
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004736:Energy-Generating Resources; D009688:Nuclear Reactors; D011005:Plutonium / Q000633:toxicity; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D011005:Plutonium