New
York Times: China's main TV network, China Central
Television, reported yesterday that China's scientists can now
reprocess spent nuclear fuel. Although the CCTV report did not
include technical details, nuclear reprocessing as practiced in
the US and Europe entails chemically treating spent fuel rods
to extract unused uranium, to isolate plutonium, and to render
nuclear waste less harmful. When China applies nuclear
processing on an industrial scale, the country will be able to
use nuclear fuel more efficiently, reducing its dependence on
coal-powered plants.
