Transmutation of Radioactive Waste

The Economist (16.3.2006) dreams of transmutation as a means of turning radioactive waste into material with half life of only some hundred years. A Japanese experiment will show by the end of this year whether the method is reasonable and feasible. Generally, nuclear power generation also yields by-products and waste that radiates for millions of years. Thus, reliable and stable disposal sites are needed - a major argument in many countries. Transmutation might give the proponents of nuclear energy an option for alternative waste treatment. However, critics are not convinced. A testing site was suggested for Italy but abandoned in 2004.