Syllabus Coverage: NFC4.1
Nuclear fuel is usually withdrawn from a reactor because of loss of reactivity, with most of the fissile material remaining unburnt. Within the irradiated fuel is a substantial amount of uranium and plutonium that can be recovered for re-use. As well as producing fissile fuel, reprocessing also reduces the volume of high-level radioactive waste. Despite these advantages, nuclear reactor fuel reprocessing is a controversial activity.