Журнал наук о Земле и изменения климата

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Radiation Reduction of Carbon Dioxide: A New Chemical Industry?

Peter M. Livingston

A new carbon dioxide reduction method using the products of hard radiation is proposed. The radiation is supplied
by spent fuel rod assemblies deep in ‘cooling ponds’ located next to nuclear power plants. This is a unique untapped
energy source with no carbon footprint and available in very plentiful supply. The actual radiochemistry occurs in
specially designed reaction vessels filled with water located surrounding a spent fuel rod assembly. Carbon dioxide
and reducer gases are bubbled through the reaction vessel water where they are subject to the energetic electron flux
created by gamma ray deposit. A modification of the chemical potentials dependent on the energetic electron density in
water created by a known gamma ray spectrum among other parameters, determine the carbon dioxide reaction rate.
A typical filled-to-capacity cooling pond houses a thousand fuel rod assemblies. The simplest reductant is hydrogen
gas and the desired product is carbon monoxide. Calculations reveal that such a pond could deliver a little over a half
megatonne of carbon monoxide a year. When dry-cask containers for spent fuel rod assemblies are permitted transport
to long term storage, it will also be possible to transport them to new deep pond facilities not located in conjunction with
nuclear facilities. Now there is no limitation on size scaling and a new competitive radiochemical industry is created.