> Plutonium is a by-product of reactor operation. Thus, there's more of it around than is really needed. The US and the former USSR made way too much (tons).
I was under the impression that there's not that much plutonium kicking about, unless it's the Russians and former USSR states that have the lion's share:
"So, we depend on plutonium-238, a fuel largely acquired as by-product of making nuclear weapons.
But there’s a problem: We’ve almost run out.
“We’ve got enough to last to the end of this decade. That’s it,” said Steve Johnson, a nuclear chemist at Idaho National Laboratory. And it’s not just the U.S. reserves that are in jeopardy. The entire planet’s stores are nearly depleted. The country’s scientific stockpile has dwindled to around 36 pounds."
There are many isotopes of Plutonium. Pu-238 has a half-life of 88 years and is used in Radioisotope thermoelectric generators. That's the isotope that's running out.
So, of course, we come up with schemes to get rid of them, like blending some in with other nuclear fuel. Such as what we did in Unit 3 at Fukushima Daiichi. And then hydrogen gas caused massive explosions, releasing radioactive material. Oops.
I was under the impression that there's not that much plutonium kicking about, unless it's the Russians and former USSR states that have the lion's share:
http://archive.is/UleJ1#selection-2455.625-2467.68
(src: http://www.wired.com/2013/09/plutonium-238-problem/all/)
"So, we depend on plutonium-238, a fuel largely acquired as by-product of making nuclear weapons.
But there’s a problem: We’ve almost run out.
“We’ve got enough to last to the end of this decade. That’s it,” said Steve Johnson, a nuclear chemist at Idaho National Laboratory. And it’s not just the U.S. reserves that are in jeopardy. The entire planet’s stores are nearly depleted. The country’s scientific stockpile has dwindled to around 36 pounds."
Previous HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414717