Page 536 - Economia Azul - versão: inglês

3. Nuclear technologies for research, health, agriculture and industry In industry, irradiation with neutron for current and future needs, thanks to the
beams makes it possible to study and even existing global capacity for conversion, en-
In its Nuclear Technology Review 2020, only the compromised cells. Improvements modify the structure of materials. In par- richment and nuclear fuel manufacturing.
the IAEA counted 250 research reactors in boron compounds, calculations, and dos- ticular, polymers subjected to irradiation There are initiatives to use thorium as a
operating in 54 countries, in support of age control, as well as the use of compact can have their structures modified, which nuclear fuel, a recently revitalized research
research and development in medicine, accelerators for neutron production in hos- helps their recycling process, avoiding dis- and development topic. Although still in-
agriculture, industry and energy, as well as pitals and treatment centers, make this ther- posal, which has a high polluting poten- cipient, some projects seem promising,
educational and training activities. There apy especially promising. tial, especially for the oceans. This tech- especially in China. Equally promising are
are plans to add twenty more of these re- Still with regard to health, bio dosimetry nique fits into the so-called green chem- reactor design initiatives for the reuse of
actors in the coming years, spread across methods make it possible to identify and istry, which is increasingly demanded by spent nuclear fuel in proper mixing and
11 countries. They constitute important in- quantify the level of exposure of human sustainability requirements. distribution with fresh fuel.
struments for the advancement of nuclear beings to radiation, including retrospec- Nuclear energy has also found non-elec- In the coming years, several research
science and technologies. Brazil has four tively. Such methods have been used in trical applications that use waste heat in and power reactors, fuel production fa-
research reactors in operation: the IEA-R1 nuclear medicine, whether for the use of processes called cogeneration. Water de- cilities, accelerators and irradiators will
(IPEN/CNEN); BN -01 (designed and built-in radiation in oncology or in diagnostic and salination, hydrogen production and the cease to operate, which will require care-
cooperation between CTMSP- MB and IPEN/ treatment radiology. use of this energy for district heating and ful decommissioning and remediation
CNEN); the Argonaut reactor (IEN/CNEN); At the interface between health and cooling are examples of this. Small modular procedures for facilities with radioactive
and the TRIGA reactor (CDTN/CNEN). agriculture, minimally invasive nuclear reactors will be ideal for such applications. materials. The issue of high-level radiation
There are also reactors dedicated to pro- technologies, which use the isotopes of In addition, energy-intensive industrial pro- waste is increasingly pressing, which has
ducing radioisotopes to obtain radiophar- deuterium and carbon-13 (13C), make cesses can be made possible by cogenera- led some countries to build and prepare
maceuticals used in nuclear medicine, both it possible to measure the digestibility of tion, reducing their costs. underground sites in deep geological lo-
for diagnosis and treatment of diseases, amino acids, in order to assess the quality Regarding nuclear fuel, essential for cations to safely store them, guarantee-
such as different types of cancer. Recently, of proteins in foods, especially those of nuclear technologies, the IAEA found that ing them the nuclear and physical security
Brazil concluded the executive project of plant origin. the world production of uranium (above 50 necessary to avoid damage to the popula-
the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB), Other relevant applications of nucle- thousand tons) has proved adequate, both tion and the environment.
in collaboration between CNEN and AMA- ar technologies in agriculture include the
ZUL Tecnologias de Defesa, with consultan- sterile insect technique for pest control. 4. Nuclear technologies for use at sea
cy from INVAP in Argentina. In addition to Irradiation by cobalt-60 (60Co) makes in-
leading to autonomy and independence sects sterile and contributes to population 4.1 The military naval industry submarines, but also in warships and air-
in the production of radiopharmaceuticals control, preserving crops. craft carriers, thanks to its ability to main-
and radioisotopes for applications in in- Nuclear techniques based on isotope As already pointed out, the use of nu- tain naval platforms for long periods at
dustry and agriculture, the RMB will be an tracking also make it possible to verify clear energy for naval propulsion can be sea, without the need for refueling, and
advanced laboratory for research in nuclear the origin of agricultural products, pre- considered the first example of the ap- to provide increased power for subma-
energy and material sciences by irradiation venting fraud and providing greater se- plication of nuclear technologies at sea. rines, which allows them to reach 20 to
with neutron beams. curity to consumers. Nuclear reactors as a source of naval pro- 25 knots when submerged.
New treatment options are emerging, Finally, food irradiation for proper pres- pulsion have been used in military vessels According to Lloyd’s Register, currently
such as Boron Neutron Capture Therapy ervation has been increasingly used and is since 1955, when the Nautilus submarine at least 160 ships are powered by around
(BNCT), which allows the selective irradiation already impacting the ability to export, as was commissioned. 200 nuclear reactors. In the US Navy
of cancerous tumor cells through a reaction it is now required by sanitary controls in Naval nuclear propulsion came to be alone, there are 108 reactors operating on
between neutron and boron, destroying several countries. widely used by several navies, initially in their ships. Since the 1950s, around 700

534 BLUE ECONOMIY Nuclear Technologies for the Sea 535