Radioactive Waste 11 - Nuclear Transmutation
Some elements are transmuted to other elements in nuclear reactors. This process is called nuclear transmutation. One of the options discussed for disposal of some radioactive materials is to intentionally convert them to other less radioactive elements in a reactor or with another source of radiation.
The set of elements referred to as “actinides” are 15 metallic elements that range in atomic number from 89 to 103. All the actinides are radioactive. Uranium and thorium are naturally occurring members and there is a little natural plutonium as well. These three actinides are by far the most abundant of all the actinides. Radioactive decay of natural uranium will temporarily produce small amounts of actinium (for which the actinide row of the periodic table is named) and protactinium. Other actinides such as neptunium, americium, curium, berkelium and californium can be produced in tiny amounts from transmutation processes in uranium ores. The remaining five actinides are einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium and lawrencium. They are synthetic elements that are only produced by human activities.
The hundreds of light water reactors scattered across the world produce waste in the form of uranium, plutonium, actinides and fission products. Uranium constitutes about 96 percent of the waste and contains about one percent of U-235 which can be refined back into fuel. Another one percent of the waste is plutonium that can be used as a fuel. Actinides are about one tenth of one percent of the waste. Neptunium and americium are each about one half of the actinide waste with a few additional percent of curium. These three are very radioactive and toxic. There are also rare earth elements in the waste which are chemically similar to the actinides but mostly non-radioactive. The final 3 percent of the nuclear waste from reactors contains a mix of fission products which include iodine, technetium, neodymium, zirconium, molybdenum, cerium, cesium, ruthenium, palladium and other elements.
The first step in transmutation of actinides in waste is to separate them from lanthanides which are not radioactive. This is very difficult because they are chemically similar. The lanthanides have to be removed because they efficiently absorb neutrons and would prevent the transmutation of the actinides. Once separated, the actinides are bombarded with neutrons inside a reactor or linear accelerator and forced to fission which produces an assortment of fission products. The reason that this is attractive with respect to waste disposal is the fact that most of the actinides in the waste have half-lives of thousands of years as opposed to the half-lives measured in decades in most of the radioactive fission products. Other fission produces are stable elements.
Iodine-129 is a dangerous radioisotope produced by fission processes. It will dissolve easily in water and move through the environment. It is concentrated in the human thyroid when ingested and can cause thyroid cancer. Subjecting iodine-129 to neutron bombardment will convert it to stable xenon. Similarly, technetium-99 is very soluble, mobile and toxic. Neutron bombardment will convert it first to technetium-100 which immediately decays to stable ruthenium.
While theoretically a method to dispose or at least make radioactive waste less long lived, nuclear transmutation will require extensive research and development of practical solutions to a number of technical challengers to be a serious option for treating large quantities of nuclear waste.
Proposed French nuclear transmutation system from irfu.cea.fr:
The queen of ultras
Kami Semick is a force to be reckoned with: a former triathlete and mountain climber, Semick began ultrarunning in 2005 and never looked back. Her list of victories includes the Montrail 100k, the Where's Waldo 100k, the prestigious 2009 World Cup 100k and the World Trophy 50k. In addition, she was mentioned in Chris McDougall's Born to Run, was a marathon distance qualifier at the 2012 Olympic trials, and she runs for The North Face.
But there's more to Semick than impressive athletics and astounding ultrarunning wins. To learn more about Semick, from her thoughts on minimalist footwear to the real story behind that famous Born to Run mention, check out our Q&A with one of the greatest ultrarunners out there.
Q. How did you start ultrarunning? How do you train?
A. Ultra running presented itself to me when I was a relatively new mom. Although I ran before, and sometimes after work to keep my sanity (pre- motherhood), my passion at the time was mountaineering. When my daughter turned two, I was on a three-week climbing expedition. Missing her birthday and putting my husband in a situation where he was sole caretaker for three weeks made me realize that long interesting climbing trips were not sustainable with a family. That's when I started ultra running - hoping to get an adventure in nature in a condensed period of time.[As for] training, [it] has evolved. If I'm focused on a specific race, I follow a plan. 1 - 2 long runs a week, and at least one quality session a week. Everything else is either complete rest or recovery running.
Q. Do you follow a special diet? Do you have any thoughts on minimalist footwear?
A. Minimalist footwear - I am a fan of more is less when it comes to ultra running. Who wants to carry an extra ounce when you are running the ultra distances? I like the minimalist movement, especially when it comes to trimming down bulky, heavy trail shoes. But, what most people don't realize is that there needs to be a transition to light weight shows, and in that same thought, a slow and progressive transition to anything lighter. I know a lot of people who have injured their Achilles going too fast into minimal footwear. The transition can take one or more years of building foot strength and getting the flexibility back into the feet.
[There are two] diet trends really - plant based and paleo. They share a similar foundation - minimal to no processed foods. More and more experts [say], and I tend to agree ... that industrialized foods are what is creating obesity. I recently moved to Hong Kong, and it is interesting to see the correlation between highly processed foods/fast foods and extra weight. Generally, people in SE Asia are trim. Is it genetics or is it because the local diet is rich in fresh vegetables and protein, all usually taken with white rice. Recently I was in a large city in SE Asia that has become very "Westernized," and noticed ten times the number of fast food restaurants than in HK. In this large city I visited, I noticed a marked difference in the number of heavy people I encountered.
Personally, I tend to stay away from processed food. But I do include amounts of brown rice, quinoa and whole oats because they are minimally processed, and I feel like I need those to refuel properly after a long hard effort. I eat a lot of green foods with protein that is grass fed and/or organic.
Q. Born to Run says you run ultras with your daughter. Does she still run with you?
A. I believe Born to Run pointed out that I "ran" with my daughter in a backpack for training. That's a bit of a stretch to say I ran an ultra with her! As Baronie was growing up, hiking with her in a backpack was a something I did almost daily. I only "ran" with her to make her laugh because she liked the bouncing. She is 10 now, and as a family we still get out to hike together. Our favorite vacations include multi day hiking/camping. My observation is that kids are energized by unstructured physical activity ("let's hike to the top of that mountain" works, not "let's go run five miles") so in my view, "running" per se, at this age is not really a sustainable pursuit for her.
Q. Your blog shows us that you’ve got a lot of adventures going on right now. Do you have anything special coming up?
A. I have a stage race in Nepal in November that I am excited about. I think Nepal will be very interesting and not lacking in trails. I haven't been up there yet. I have been exploring areas near Tibet, and I hope to do more running in Yunnan Province of China near Tibet this coming spring. I am also headed to Vietnam in the next couple of weeks, although I've been warned to not go off exploring on my own, as there are still thousands of land mines in the country.
To find out more about Kami Semick, check out her blog. We'll be following her career for a long time to come. Keep up the amazing work, Kami!
Senate Race Update: MA, CT, ME
The Northeast continues to be an unlikely hotbed in the battle for the U.S. Senate.
Massachusetts ... well, everyone knew that its contest between Sen. Scott Brown (R) and challenger Elizabeth Warren (D) would be a slugfest, especially once Brown opened up the issue of Warren's use of uncertain Native American heritage to apparently further her academic career.
But in all three of these states, a major factor may come from outside: Mitt Romney's ability to appeal to independent voters.
Romney ran well with indepedents in winning the Massachusetts governor's office, and appears to be enjoying a substantial spike among independents after the first presidential debate. That seems to have given Brown (who uses some of the same campaign consultants as Romney's Massachusetts campaigns) a boost as well, as the only post-debate poll shows Brown erasing what had been a slight Warren lead.
It may be just a coincidence, but even a modest increase in Romney's popularity in the Bay State would probably reflect some light on Brown as well.
***
Another candidate seeking to project a more independent image is businesswoman Linda McMahon (R) in Connecticut. McMahon has no shortage of money, and has put in a massive effort to improve her standing among independent and moderate women voters.
McMahon has to overcome the image presented by her family's wildly successful "wrestling entertainment" business (which isn't exactly aimed at Lexus-SUV-driving moms in tony Connecticut suburbs), and re-package herself as a mainstream political voice. So far -- with the help of a struggling opponent and a national political establishment that underestimated her -- it seems to be working.
She's pushed the Connecticut race deep into the "tossup" category, and may need only a slight national GOP trend to pull off the win.
***
Finally, the race in Maine has turned on the Democrats' plan for independent voters to elect an indepedent candidate, who would then caucus with the Democrats in Washington.
The independent, former Gov. Angus King, was expected to cruise to election if the Democrats didn't "try too hard" to elect their own nominee, State Sen. Cynthia Dill.
But the GOP shook up the race (particularly after pulling its money out of Missouri) by boosting Republican Attorney General Charlie Summers, softening up King, and trying to make the race more partisan (thus drawing down King's appeal to independents).
The goal is to draw Democrats into the embarrassing scenario of working to defeat their own nominee, which, if it were to occur, might further reduce King's status as true independent.
Well, that may be happening, as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has now purchased a significant bloc of advertising time in the state, but still declines to actually endorse the Democrat. There is no word yet as to whether the ads will be pro-King or pro-Dill (don't count on that), or just anti-Summers (most likely).
But, either way, the GOP has successfully made the race more partisan, and if, simultaneously, Romney is making the party brand more acceptable to independents, then Summers may be in a position to undermine King's position even more. There are no post-debate polls yet in Maine.
New problem in Dallas?
What is Dallas’s problem now? The team’s latest loss on Monday night to the Bears was embarrassing to say the least and had many people asking this question. It seems like the team has all the pieces one would need to go the distance. They have a better-than-average quarterback, a good running game, good receivers, and a solid bunch of guys defensively. Despite this, even at home, they can not seem to play like a solidified team. They have gone a far way since their opening week win against the Giants, but have been going in the wrong direction.
Chicago was able to do whatever they wanted against a Rob Ryan defense that is supposed to apply pressure and give up few big plays. Instead though, Cutler looked like the best QB in the league last Monday as he shredded the Dallas secondary. Cutler was able to avoid any rare pressure that did come his way and made play after play.
Tony Rome, on the other hand, looked rattled and was not getting help from his receivers who dropped passes and were responsible for as many picks as Romo was. The majority of picks, that were Romo’s fault, came late in the game as Dallas was trying to make big plays to try and stay in the game. In the end, however, it is Romo who has to take all the blame. This has been the story of Tony’s life ever since Jessica Simpson and the bobbled field goal snap in the playoffs years ago. If you ask me, the only thing Romo needs to succeed is a change of scenery.
Brian Hartline, new number 1 receiver?
The Miami Dolphin’s wide receiver, Brian Hartline, came up in a big way in week 4 of the NFL season. The new possible number 1 receiver for the team hauled in 12 passes for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. He averaged 21 yards a catch and could not be covered against a Cardinals defense that ultimately did go on to win the game 24-21. Hartline, thanks in large part to that game, now leads the NFL in yards with 455 yards receiving.
This success has caused some talk of trade negotiations for Hartline who has not asked, but seems to be getting quick credit for his contributions. More amazingly, Hartline has done so well despite missing the preseason. Hartline missed with a calf injury, but had even bigger problems before the calf issues. This is due to the fact that Hartline had to get his appendix removed prior to preseason and had many complications from that surgery. Despite all, he has rose from the ashes and produced.
Time will tell if Hartline will continue to progress as a receiver and just how much money may be coming his way. If he can continue to show what he has then you can assume he can possibly get number 1 receiver money. Hartline does not possess great size or strength, but is quick and has an ability to find soft spots in the zone. He can get open and makes catches rather then drops. Hopefully his season will end up with a nice Cinderella story with a big contract.
49ers to face Bills Sunday
The San Francisco 49ers will face the Buffalo Bills this Sunday at 4:25PM at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The 49ers come into the game with a 3-1 record and have only lost to the Minnesota Vikings on the road this year. The Bills bring a 2-2 record to San Fran and have been very up and down throughout the year thus far. The Bills have beaten the Jets week one and the Browns in week 3, as they are on a win then lose week-to-week basis.
The 49ers latest win came against the New York Jets last week in New York. There, the 49ers embarrassed the Jets in a 34-0 victory. The team used offense, defense, and even special teams to get the win and made quick work of the Jets despite being on the road. The 49ers have shown that they are easily one of the best 5, if not 3, teams in the NFL and can beat you a number of different ways.
The Bills latest game was a loss to the Patriots that saw New England score 52 total points. At one point in the game Buffalo had a 21-7 lead, but quickly saw that lead erase as the Pats started to pile on points. More importantly, or devastating, to the Bills was the fact that they were the home team that Sunday. Given this all, the 49ers could be on their way to embarrassing another NFL team this week at home.
PREDICTION: SF 29 BUF 20
Peyton Vs. Brady: Who will be victorious?
Peyton vs. Brady will be the main attraction this Sunday in the NFL. The two will face off again as they used to when the Colts would play the Patriots the past decade. Peyton has now moved on and will face Brady for the first time as a member of the Denver Broncos. Both teams come into the game with 2-2 records this season, but the game will come down to not the teams but the quarterbacks who will be meeting for the 13th time in their careers.
Brady will have the home field advantage as the game will be played at New England’s Gillette Stadium. Brady will bring over 1200 yards of offense and 7 touchdowns thrown this season so far. He has only thrown 1 interception on the year as well. His offense has produced 438 yards a game to this point, and Brady has averaged almost 300 yards a game. The team has also been able to score an average of 33.5 points a game. This was helped out by last week game against the Bills that saw the Patriots score 52 points.
Peyton Manning will bring nearly 1200 yards and 8 touchdowns into the game, but has been intercepted 3 times this season. Manning’s Broncos have gained nearly 400 yards a game as well with 278 of those yards through the air. As a team, they have scored 28.5 points a contest. In the end, it will come down to that can defend these fine quarterbacks better and the game could be a very high-scoring affair.
PREDICTION: DEN 30 NE 28
Houston travels to New York to take on Jets
The Houston Texans are going to travel to New York this Sunday to face the Jets. The game will be played in New York’s MetLife Stadium and will be the last game of the NFL’s 5th week of 2012 with a 8:30PM start on Monday Night Football. The Texans come into the game with a 4-0 record while the Jets sit at 2-2. Houston is considered by many to be the AFC’s best team while the Jets are 2-2 but are viewed and talked about like they are 0-4.
Houston has stayed healthy this season, which is something that they could not do last season. All of their skill players missed some time last season including Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Arian Foster. If they can all remain healthy, and the defense can continue to dominate, there is no reason they can not make a deep run into the playoffs.
The Jets, on the other hand, have a lot of questions to answer and have battled tough injuries that they must try and overcome. Last week they lost their number one receiver Santonio Holmes for the season with a foot injury. One week earlier against the Dolphins, the teams best cornerback (and perhaps best corner in the league) Darrell Revis was lost for the season with a knee injury. On top of these injuries was their latest blowout last week when the 49ers shut them out and embarrassed the Jets 34-0 in their own stadium. You can rest assured that if the Jets get crushed on Monday Night Football this week heads will start to roll and fans will be looking for someone’s job.
PREDICTION: TEBOW, TEBOW chants will be loud…..HOU 30 NYJ 17
Senate Race Update: FL, OH, PA
Just when Florida was about to be taken off the list of competitive Senate races, here comes a poll showing Rep. Connie Mack IV (R) tied with Sen. Bill Nelson (D). Then again, on the same day, a poll came out showing Nelson ahead by 11 points.
Such are the vagaries of polls, which are, after all, estimates based on random samples of the electorate. (And that's not even mentioning the fact that we also have to estimate what the "electorate" -- i.e., likely voters -- actually will be.) (Except that I just did.)
But most of the time the mixed results are compatible with each other, given the nature of polling. The problem with Florida isn't just mixed results, but mixed results that are completely incompatible. If Nelson is, in fact, over 50 percent and well ahead, then, even with an "odd" sample, we wouldn't expect a poll showing him at 44 percent and tied. One version of reality would have Nelson in very good shape; the other version of reality would have Nelson in big trouble for an incumbent. We'll have to wait for more data on this one.
***
The race in Ohio is similar, in that a Democratic incumbent, Sen. Sharrod Brown, appeared to be opening some distance over his GOP challenger, State Treasurer Joel Mandel.
But, unilke the mixed results in Florida, the latest polls in Ohio show Brown slipping and Mandel getting close. Brown had been polling close to 50 percent, but the two new polls show him at 46 ... not a steep plunge, but enough to be endangered as Mandel had crawled up from the low-40s to the mid-40s.
Then again, both polls were taken right after the presidential debate, so they may demonstrate some GOP enthusiasm that may not carry over to election day.
If it does, however, then these are the kind of races that can turn into upsets.
***
An upset in Pennsylvania would be one of the biggest of all if it were to occur, since Sen. Bob Casey (D) wasn't even considered "endangered" at the start of the year.
Challenger Tom Smith, if nothing else, has put Casey squarely in that "endangered" category. Not so much because Smith's campaign has taken off, but because he seems to have pulled Casey's numbers somewhat under 50 percent. Two polls in a row have Casey at 44 percent ... although still well ahead of Smith (who was at 35 and 36).
But 44 precent is not a good number for an incumbent, and it raises the possibility that a significant Republican tide could lift Smith.
Arizona falls to St. Louis in Thursday Night Game
The Arizona Cardinals fell to the Rams on Thursday Night Football this week. Arizona failed to do anything that resembled football while they left their QB exposed throughout the game. Kevin Kolb was battered and bloodied in the contest, but did show good resiliency as he continued to plug away and try to make plays. In the end, his efforts were wasted as he was skittish and off-target. Kolb and the Cardinals are now 4-1 overall this season.
Arizona could not establish any run game, which really hurt the team. Running back Ryan Williams even ended up getting knocked out of the game in the second half with what appeared to be a concussion. The Rams front line dominated Arizona’s less-than-average offensive line and recorded 9 sacks of Kolb in the game. When the Rams were not getting sacks they were still getting hits on Kolb. Any, and every, play Arizona made (which was not many) came at a high cost and was difficult. In the end it was simply too much, and the Cardinals produced just 3 points.
St Louis is now 3-2 on the year and now has their first winning record in more than 80 games between their last. The team was able to get Steven Jackson going in the second half and made enough big plays to get the win. Their first drive of the game was a touchdown, but they then went without another TD until the 4th quarter. Little did they know, the first touchdown on their initial would end up being enough.