Saturday, March 14, 2009

Technique Disables Plutonium's Use in Bombs

Keeping Nuke Fuel Safe: Scientists report that adding the element Americium, a synthetic compound used in commercial smoke detectors and industrial gauges, to nuclear power plant fuel generates higher-than-normal concentrations of a particular type of plutonium, rendering it useless for armaments without additional processing. iStockPhoto

From Discover Magazine:

Israeli scientists have devised a technique to keep plutonium produced in nuclear power plants from being used in nuclear bombs.

Adding the element Americium, a synthetic compound used in commercial smoke detectors and industrial gauges, to nuclear power plant fuel generates higher-than-normal concentrations of a particular type of plutonium, rendering it useless for armaments without additional processing.

Read more ....

My Comment: One small step to insure such materials do not fall into the hands of those who may harbor ill will.

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