# Questions about nuclear fission

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-nuclear-fission/716710>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 3, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-nuclear-fission/716710 "2015-04-03T15:33:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![carlowplayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@carlowplayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlowplayer)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-nuclear-fission/716710/1 "2015-04-03T15:33:57Z")

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Want to discuss nuclear fission power here primarily : thorium , uranium, plutonium and mox.  
Want to discuss:

1. How much power each one generates
2. How much waste they produce
3. How long their half life is  
4.which are most expensive and most cheapest forms to produce for use  
5.how long could each power the world  
6.what are the best methods of dealing with their disposal can they be bioremediation or just buried underground

I saw this article does this mean bacteria could be used to get rid of nuclear waste safety and effectivly

> **[Bacteria That Can Eat Radioactive Waste Discovered](https://www.science20.com/news_articles/bacteria_that_can_eat_radioactive_waste_discovered-144465)**
>
> Tiny single-cell organisms living underground could help with the problem of nuclear waste disposal, according to a paper in the ISME (Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology) Journal.

Been looking around online but can’t get a clear answer. Even wikipedia is all ancient greek to.

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-nuclear-fission/716710/2 "2015-04-03T15:48:09Z")

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> [@carlowplayer](#):
>
> Been looking around online but can’t get a clear answer. Even wikipedia is all ancient greek to.

If your break down your questions individually, you should be able to find the answers you seek.

Half life - [Thorium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium), [Uranium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium), [Plutonium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium), [Mox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOX_fuel)

I’m loathe to offer more since your post looks like a homework assignment.

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-nuclear-fission/716710/3 "2015-04-03T17:56:18Z")

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> [@carlowplayer](#):
>
> I saw this article does this mean bacteria could be used to get rid of nuclear waste safety and effectivly
> 
> [Bacteria That Can Eat Radioactive Waste Discovered | Science 2.0](http://www.science20.com/news_articles/bacteria_that_can_eat_radioactive_waste_discovered-144465)

Short answer: no.

Long answer: the article is about the disposal of intermediate-level radioactive waste, which is basically stuff that has been in the reactor but isn’t the fuel itself, and has lower but significant levels of radioactivity. If we were to bury this stuff under concrete, there’s a concern that water could seep into the burial site, react with the concrete and the waste, and form chemicals that would bind to the radioactive atoms in the sample. Then those radioactive atoms could seep back out.

The bacteria that are described in the article are able to eat these chemicals that would otherwise bind with the radioactive atoms. What’s more, they can do so even deep underground in the conditions that would prevail in these burial sites. Thus, the radioactive atoms can’t go anywhere, and will stay put until they decay.

Note, however, that the bacteria aren’t actually “eating” the radioactive atoms themselves. A radioactive atom is still a radioactive atom even if a bacterium eats it; now you have a radioactive bacterium instead.