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[Saucycarpdog]

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/...s-nuclear-waste-six-years-after-disaster.html

Six years after the largest nuclear disaster in a quarter-century, Japanese officials have still not solved a basic problem: what to do with an ever-growing pile of radioactive waste. Each form of waste at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, where three reactors melted down after an earthquake and a tsunami on March 11, 2011, presents its own challenges.

400 Tons of Contaminated Water Per Day

The Tokyo Electric Power Company is pumping water nonstop through the three reactors to cool melted fuel that remains too hot and radioactive to remove. About 400 tons of water pass through the reactors every day, including groundwater that seeps in. The water picks up radiation in the reactors and then is diverted into a decontamination facility.

But the decontamination filters cannot remove all the radioactive material. So for now, all this water is being stored in 1,000 gray, blue and white tanks on the grounds. The tanks already hold 962,000 tons of contaminated water, and Tokyo Electric is installing more tanks. It is also trying to slow the flow of groundwater through the reactors by building an underground ice wall.

The authorities are debating whether it might be acceptable, given the relatively low radioactive levels in the water, to dilute the contaminated water and then dump it into the ocean. But local fishermen are vehemently opposed. Many people still do not trust Tokyo Electric because of its bungled response to the disaster, the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

Branches and Logs From 220 Acres of Deforested Land

The plant’s grounds were once dotted with trees, and a portion was even designated as a bird sanctuary. But workers have cleared about 220 acres of trees since the meltdown spewed radiation over them.

Now, piles of branches and tree trunks are stacked all over the site. Officials say there are about 80,000 cubic meters of this waste, and all of it will have to be incinerated and stored someday.

3.5 Billion Gallons of Soil

Thousands of plastic garbage bags sit in neat rows in the fields and abandoned towns surrounding the Fukushima plant. They contain soil that was scraped from land that was exposed to radiation in the days after the accident.

Japan’s Ministry of the Environment estimates that it has bagged 3.5 billion gallons of soil, and plans to collect much more. It will eventually incinerate some of the soil, but that will only reduce the volume of the radioactive waste, not eliminate it.

The ministry has already begun building a massive, interim storage facility in Fukushima prefecture and negotiating with 2,360 landowners for the thousands of acres needed to complete it. And that is not even a long-term solution: The government says that after 30 years it will need another site — or sites — to store radioactive waste.

1,573 Nuclear Fuel Rods

The ultimate goal of the cleanup is to cool and, if possible, remove the uranium and plutonium fuel that was inside the three reactors at the time of the disaster.

Hundreds of spent fuel rods are in cooling pools inside the reactors, and the company hopes to have cleared away enough rubble to begin removing them next year. The much bigger challenge will be removing the fuel that was in use in the reactor core at the time of the meltdown.

Tokyo Electric hopes to begin removing fuel debris from the reactor cores in 2021. The entire effort could take decades. Some say the radioactive material may prove impossible to remove safely and have suggested leaving it and entombing Fukushima under a concrete and steel sarcophagus like the one used at Chernobyl.

But the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric say they are committed to removing all the waste and cleaning the site, estimated at a cost of $188.6 billion.

More at the link. It's crazy how much damage one nuclear meltdown can cause.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

I do wonder how many other reactors that are at risk of flooding and / or earthquake have since been adjusted towards closure or upgrade towards self-containment, and how many risky older ones are still left. Globally, not just Japan.

I also hope they even have decades to finish the clean-up, considering global warming isn't going to wait for them to finish.

 

[Ishan]

Fusion can't get here soon enough , we can get safe energy which does not pollute or have a chance of meltdowns ... Fusion plus renewals should sort out energy in the long run.

 

[sc0la]

Don't forget the radioactive wild boars!
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/...ma-thwart-residents-plans-to-return-home.html

If there is one lesson my grandmother taught me when I was a child it was "Don't fuck with radioactive wild boars"

 

[No_Style]

Don't forget the radioactive wild boars!
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/...ma-thwart-residents-plans-to-return-home.html

If there is one lesson my grandmother taught me when I was a child it was "Don't fuck with radioactive wild boars"

Kawaii.

 

[How About No]

Don't forget the radioactive wild boars!
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/...ma-thwart-residents-plans-to-return-home.html

If there is one lesson my grandmother taught me when I was a child it was "Don't fuck with radioactive wild boars"

Nier viral marketing

Spoiler

poor boars :[

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Don't forget the radioactive wild boars!
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/...ma-thwart-residents-plans-to-return-home.html

If there is one lesson my grandmother taught me when I was a child it was "Don't fuck with radioactive wild boars"

I'm pretty sure I saw this in STALKER

 

[Trojan X]

When do you think radioactive space dumping or send to a collision course to the sun or out of our solar system will be a thing? Until they figure out how to truly nuatralise radiation (might be a double edge sword in disguise) i can see looking at space as the next best thing providing they can avoid the garbage going into orbit (which would be another disaster if that happen).

 

[Escape Goat]

When do you think radioactive space dumping or send to a collision course to the sun or out of our solar system will be a thing? Until they figure out how to truly nuatralise radiation (might be a double edge sword in disguise) i can see looking at space as the next best thing providing they can avoid the garbage going into orbit (which would be another disaster if that happen).

If we can haul it into space reliably and cost effectively we probably don't even need nuclear energy in the first place.

 

[Mr Nash]

I wonder how effective this whole diamond batteries for nuclear waste thing are:

https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/28/diamonds-convert-nuclear-waste-into-batteries/

 

[kagete]

If we can haul it into space reliably and cost effectively we probably don't even need nuclear energy in the first place.

Well we'd probably be exploring the solar system at that point. And while exploring, we can find dead planets or orbits to jettison this stuff to clean the earth. Vote kagete 2090!

 

[R10Neymarfan]

Fusion can't get here soon enough , we can get safe energy which does not pollute or have a chance of meltdowns ... Fusion plus renewals should sort out energy in the long run.

Well someone needs to figure out how to contain the fusion. It's here and as been done. Just not sustained

 

[BlazinSkatinAxel]

Can they dump all the contaminated soil and water into a volcano?

 

[GeCcO]

Could anyone explain why they don't run the cooling water in a loop?

Unless I'm missing something obvious, it seems weird that they can't use the water more than once for cooling, or?

 

[Ether_Snake]

They need to come up with something that can stop radiation, somehow. There has to be a way to stop the process.

China has 21 more plants under construction, and already has over 30. There are more catastrophes like this one coming one way or another.

 

[Biske]

When do you think radioactive space dumping or send to a collision course to the sun or out of our solar system will be a thing? Until they figure out how to truly nuatralise radiation (might be a double edge sword in disguise) i can see looking at space as the next best thing providing they can avoid the garbage going into orbit (which would be another disaster if that happen).

Probably when we can reliably trust rockets not to blow up and a rocket launch is a 100% safe event.


We don't need to be creating dirty bombs while trying to get rid of waste.

 

[Beer Monkey]

China has 21 more plants under construction, and already has over 30. There are more catastrophes like this one coming one way or another.

Are they being built to 1950s standards?

 

[Yaboosh]

Why did they measure soil by the gallon and water by the ton?

 

[Fuchsdh]

If we can haul it into space reliably and cost effectively we probably don't even need nuclear energy in the first place.

Yep. At that point it'll certainly be an effective waste removal strategy but the tech required to get to that point (basically either mass drivers or an orbital elevator) would probably mean we wouldn't be producing more nuclear waste.

 

[Buzzman]

Coal is killing hundreds of thousands every year and literally destroying the planet. But this one accident where radiation might cause a few hundred early deaths and is expensive to clean up clearly shows we need to get rid of it ASAP.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Coal is killing hundreds of thousands every year and literally destroying the planet. But this one accident where radiation might cause a few hundred early deaths and is expensive to clean up clearly shows we need to get rid of it ASAP.

Coal can be ended overnight, a radiated area as this one is fucked for centuries if not more. And you know we can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time?

 

[maomaoIYP]

Could anyone explain why they don't run the cooling water in a loop?

Unless I'm missing something obvious, it seems weird that they can't use the water more than once for cooling, or?

The problem with the Fukushima plants is that due to the accident the cores are leaking. Water has to be continuously pumped in. In a normal nuclear power plant the cooling water is circulated.

 

[ahoyhoy]

Coal can be ended overnight, a radiated area as this one is fucked for centuries if not more. And you know we can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time?

The damage done by coal might never go away.

And we're adding more damage right now.

 

[Omni]

The authorities are debating whether it might be acceptable, given the relatively low radioactive levels in the water, to dilute the contaminated water and then dump it into the ocean.

defuq

 

[Buzzman]

Coal can be ended overnight, a radiated area as this one is fucked for centuries if not more. And you know we can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time?

I guess we just have differing opinions of what "fucked" means.

Radiation exposure in Fukushima is equivalent to roughly one CT-scan every four years.

In Beijing alone roughly half a million people die every year from coal pollution, when are we going to classify the entirety of China as "fucked"?

 

[Earthbound64]

 

[mike6467]

Yeah, the lives lost due to coal always get hand waved away. Not because it's a minor thing, but because people understand it and feel like the dangers can be mitigated.

Radiation on the other hand may as well be death magic. People are terrified of it based on reputation alone.

 

[TheSeks]

and how many risky older ones are still left. Globally, not just Japan.

A lot. (Google Cache[/url] in case that doesn't load[/url]). A whole fucking lot of Nuclear Plants are past their 40-60 year limit and being extended around the US. Some are being decommissioned but a few are still being extended. Which... isn't good.

 

[Earthbound64]

Yeah, the lives lost due to coal always get hand waved away. Not because it's a minor thing, but because people understand it and feel like the dangers can be mitigated.

Radiation on the other hand may as well be death magic. People are terrified of it based on reputation alone.

Sounds pretty similar to people hand-waving away auto accidents, but being terrified of planes.

 

[mike6467]

Sounds pretty similar to people hand-waving away auto accidents, but being terrified of planes.

That's a good analogy, that and self driving cars.

 

[7iberius]

Could anyone explain why they don't run the cooling water in a loop?

Unless I'm missing something obvious, it seems weird that they can't use the water more than once for cooling, or?

A large amount of the water flooding the damaged reactors is uncontrolled ground water pouring in. This massive leak is one of the things preventing creating a closed loop.

The water that they're pumping out of the flooded reactors is highly radioactive. It is pumped out and run through a separation process. The water containing the the more radioactive contaminants is diverted and stored. That's the 400 tons of new waste per day. The less radioactive water is reused by being pumped back into the reactors to help cool them.

So they're already recycling water to the extend that they're able to. Nonetheless, the scale of the ongoing problem and the waste buildup is enormous.

 

[hirokazu]

The Tokyo Electric Power Company is pumping water nonstop through the three reactors to cool melted fuel that remains too hot and radioactive to remove. About 400 tons of water pass through the reactors every day, including groundwater that seeps in. The water picks up radiation in the reactors and then is diverted into a decontamination facility.

But the decontamination filters cannot remove all the radioactive material. So for now, all this water is being stored in 1,000 gray, blue and white tanks on the grounds. The tanks already hold 962,000 tons of contaminated water, and Tokyo Electric is installing more tanks. It is also trying to slow the flow of groundwater through the reactors by building an underground ice wall.

With the exception of water flooding in, why not just reuse the already contaminated water so pump into reactors -> decontamination facility -> store in tanks -> pump back into reactors -> ...?

Why keep pumping in fresh water?

 

[adj_noun]

Don't forget the radioactive wild boars!
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/...ma-thwart-residents-plans-to-return-home.html

If MMOs have taught me anything, you should be able to find some official sort hanging around who'd be willing to reward you if you kill 10 of them.

 

[Earthbound64]

If MMOs have taught me anything, you should be able to find some official sort hanging around who'd be willing to reward you if you kill 10 of them.

Looks like someone's been camping the lair:

Correction: March 9, 2017

An earlier version of this article misstated the time period during which the number of boars killed in hunts has grown to 13,000 from 3,000. It is since 2014, not 2011.

 

[maomaoIYP]

With the exception of water flooding in, why not just reuse the already contaminated water so pump into reactors -> decontamination facility -> store in tanks -> pump back into reactors -> ...?

Why keep pumping in fresh water?

For the same reason why we don't flush our toilets with raw sewage. It's to minimize unnecessary exposure to the people who have to work with it.

 

[7iberius]

With the exception of water flooding in, why not just reuse the already contaminated water so pump into reactors -> decontamination facility -> store in tanks -> pump back into reactors -> ...?

Why keep pumping in fresh water?

The ground water alone is not enough to cool the reactors, so that's why they have to pump extra water in. It's also not good to keep recycling the exact same water because radioactive contamination is cumulative, so the water will grow more and more radioactive the longer it's exposed to the nuclear fuel. This becomes becomes too dangerous for the hundreds of cleanup workers on site. As mentioned previously, the whole situation is not controlled or enclosed. Water has repeatedly leaked in large quantities from the reactors into the adjacent sea and the risk of it doing so again continues. By removing the most radioactive portion of that water, the cooling water in use is kept to relatively low levels of radioactivity. If, instead, they reused the worst of the contaminated water, its radioactivity would build up to very high levels. This would create too great a risk to the site workers and the surrounding environment of a catastrophic spill.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Coal can be ended overnight, a radiated area as this one is fucked for centuries if not more. And you know we can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time?

At this point it looks like the impact of the coal we burn may outlast our entire species.

In a far better timeline we would have built way, way more nuclear power plants over the past fifty years.

 

[Buzzman]

Just to help visualize it:

Study on Air Pollution

WHO on Chernobyl

Disclaimer: I'm being generous and counting cancer cases as deaths.
You could multiply nuclear deaths by several orders of magnitude and you'd still not even come close to the numbers put up by coal.

 

[SuperSamyon]

In January, the robot sent into one of the reactors discovered radiation levels high enough to kill a person in less than a minute. Another had to be abandoned last month after debris blocked its path and radiation disabled it.

Proving once and for all that the Animatrix was wrong and that machines cannot survive a nuclear fallout thereby making the entire Matrix story implausible. After nearly two decades, I'm glad we have proof.

 

[Trojan X]

Just to help visualize it:

Study on Air Pollution

WHO on Chernobyl

Disclaimer: I'm being generous and counting cancer cases as deaths.
You could multiply nuclear deaths by several orders of magnitude and you'd still not even come close to the numbers put up by coal.

Whoa. Now that is alarming.

 

[Steel]

Whoa. Now that is alarming.

There are also more deaths in solar production per peta-watt hour than there are by nuclear(It's still a fraction of coal, though). Nuclear is literally the safest energy source.

 

[Weckum]

There are also more deaths in solar production per peta-watt hour than there are by nuclear(It's still a fraction of coal, though). Nuclear is literally the safest energy source.

Yes, nuclear has a bad name and yes most of it is overblown, but the effects on the environment shouldn't be diminished. I mean, Fukushima and Chernobyl are basically a nuclear wasteland for hundreds of years to come.

 

[Jezan]

Wait, I don't know much about nuclear energy, so can someone direct me to some place to read more about:

Why do they need to pump water? I mean, what happens if you leave the material there without cooling it?

Sorry if it sounds like an stupid question.

 

[Lime]

There are also more deaths in solar production per peta-watt hour than there are by nuclear(It's still a fraction of coal, though). Nuclear is literally the safest energy source.

You should read up on the problems in France with their nuclear facilities. The amount of water needed is simply not sustainable and it's not the solution going forward.

 

[maomaoIYP]

Wait, I don't know much about nuclear energy, so can someone direct me to some place to read more about:

Why do they need to pump water? I mean, what happens if you leave the material there without cooling it?

Sorry if it sounds like an stupid question.

The decay heat from the spent fuel would melt the fuel rods, and this can result in a nuclear catastrophe.

 

[Earthbound64]

Wait, I don't know much about nuclear energy, so can someone direct me to some place to read more about:

Why do they need to pump water? I mean, what happens if you leave the material there without cooling it?

Sorry if it sounds like an stupid question.

Try draining the pool in Maniac Mansion.

 

[Vicetrailia]

There are also more deaths in solar production per peta-watt hour than there are by nuclear(It's still a fraction of coal, though). Nuclear is literally the safest energy source.

And if something goes wrong with nuclear, it's over. Although new tech exists in a different world, Fukushima isn't irrelevant.

I love nuclear, and dream of fusion but still am concerned about facilities being attacked.

 

[GeCcO]

A large amount of the water flooding the damaged reactors is uncontrolled ground water pouring in. This massive leak is one of the things preventing creating a closed loop.

The water that they're pumping out of the flooded reactors is highly radioactive. It is pumped out and run through a separation process. The water containing the the more radioactive contaminants is diverted and stored. That's the 400 tons of new waste per day. The less radioactive water is reused by being pumped back into the reactors to help cool them.

So they're already recycling water to the extend that they're able to. Nonetheless, the scale of the ongoing problem and the waste buildup is enormous.

Thanks for the explanation, that puts it in a new perspective. Just seemed a bit odd to not be able to use any of it more than once.

 

[hydragonwarrior]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a good portion of the Earth's core contains radioactive material, right? Perhaps we can find a way to store far into the Earth (away from causing contamination and such)

 

[sirap]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a good portion of the Earth's core contains radioactive material, right? Perhaps we can find a way to store far into the Earth (away from causing contamination and such)