Nuclear fusion has long been heralded as the energy solution for the future. It is the safer and non-radioactive cousin of nuclear fission, which is used in all nuclear reactors in operation to date. Unlike nuclear fission, nuclear fusion has remained largely theoretical for a long time. However, the advantages of fusion over fission are great.
There is no classic radioactive nuclear waste such as nuclear fission. The fusion reaction does make the reactor itself somewhat radioactive, but the material can be safely reused within a hundred years. High-level waste from nuclear fission can remain radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years.
“The residual product of nuclear fusion is helium,” Ongena explains, “but it is not radioactive, does not react chemically in the atmosphere and is not a greenhouse gas, so it does not contribute to climate change. It is also safer. An accident like Chernobyl is impossible , because the technique is not based on a chain reaction that can go out of control.”
2024-02-08 20:29:00
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