Grave of 5,500 tons of nuclear waste in Finland
In a move for sustainable nuclear waste management, Finland will become the first country to bury spent nuclear energy rods underground for long-term storage.
In a move for sustainable nuclear waste management, Finland will become the first country to bury spent nuclear energy rods underground for long-term storage.
Nuclear energy is a low-carbon energy source that harnesses the power within the atom. However, nuclear waste management is important because it is radioactive, which can pose safety and environmental risks. This type of waste can remain toxic for thousands of years. Therefore, careful waste treatment to protect people and the environment is very important.
Onkalo will store nuclear waste safely for decades. (Photo: BBC).
Finland's Onkalo project is a big step towards reducing waste. Onkalo, which means "cave " or "hollow" in Finnish, was built over the past two decades to become a sprawling underground warehouse that would serve as the world's first permanent storage facility. world for nuclear waste.
" The facility can hold a total of 5,500 tons of nuclear waste , " said Antti Joutsen, a geologist working on the project . "Therefore, Onkalo will receive all highly radioactive nuclear waste from Finland's five nuclear plants throughout their lifetime."
Onkalo's importance extends far beyond Finland's borders. The International Atomic Energy Agency describes this as a project that will change nuclear waste management . The Onkalo project puts Finland a decade ahead of other countries struggling to solve similar challenges.
At the heart of Onkalo is the KBS-3 design , the result of a joint development with the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company. This advanced approach uses a multi-barrier system, enclosing nuclear waste inside a copper box, covered with clay and buried deep within stable bedrock. By safely isolating nuclear waste from the environment, the project minimizes the risk of radiation exposure and environmental pollution. In addition, Onkalo is also proof that technology can help solve urgent environmental challenges. For example, a type of molecular crystal nicknamed "Octopus" and waste-eating bacteria offer potential solutions for collecting by-products from nuclear reactors, and even decomposing the waste, turning it into energy. nuclear becomes a more viable clean option.
As it progresses to the Onkalo operational stage, Finland will open a precedent for nuclear waste management on a global scale.
- Nuclear waste bunker collapse in the US
- Interesting facts about Finland
- The salvage can be tons of horrible waste than plastic waste on the ocean floor
- The pandemic creates 25,900 tons of waste for the oceans
- China inaugurated a plant that turns nuclear waste into glass
- Visit the world's first nuclear crypt, where 6,500 tons of radioactive waste will rest for 100,000 years
- The risk of 'nuclear coffin' on the ocean leaks disaster
- 10 unique things only available in Finland
- US: Call for recycling nuclear fuel
- The US nuclear waste storage tank moved because of the earthquake
Technology helps reduce nuclear waste at the plant by 80%. The grave of nuclear waste under the sea costs 83 billion USD China inaugurated a plant that turns nuclear waste into glass Ukraine unloaded the 'concrete coffin' that was about to collapse at the Chernobyl factory Islands have much higher radioactivity than Chernobyl and Fukushima America: Extreme danger of 43 nuclear explosions leaking Where is the all-time nuclear submarine buried? Discover the most dangerous place in the UK