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Next-Gen Nuclear Reactors Face New Waste Management Challenges
A new wave of advanced nuclear reactor designs could begin coming online this decade, but their novel fuels and coolants will create waste streams that don't fit the playbook developed for conventional light-water reactors.
Key Takeaways
- TRISO fuel reactors produce bulkier waste because graphite cannot easily be separated from spent fuel
- Molten-salt reactors treat entire coolant volumes as high-level waste, far more than conventional designs
- Fast reactor spent fuel generates more heat per unit, constraining how tightly it can be packed in a repository
- Sodium-cooled reactors require special sodium removal before spent fuel can enter standard cooling pools
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DT Editorial AI··via technologyreview.com