Water

Nuclear power plants use a lot of water to cool the nuclear reactors, which adds some heat to the water. This slightly warmer water is carefully monitored to minimize the effect on aquatic life. Water-intake systems are designed to be deep enough and feature protective barriers to mitigate their impact on fish, and are shaped to prevent fish entrapment. Water-discharge systems cool the water before it is returned to the lake.

Moreover, nuclear technology has found ways to treat water for the benefit of people affected by water scarcity.

Water desalination

Water is abundant, but people can’t drink saltwater. Nearly a quarter of a billion people worldwide rely on desalination. There are several methods for removing salt from water, with reverse osmosis and distillation being the most common. But they require large amounts of heat.

Nuclear power plants are well suited to provide that heat. Using leftover heat from nuclear reactors to boil ocean water can be relatively inexpensive. “The costs for nuclear desalination are comparable to those of fossil fuels but without the greenhouse gas emissions during operation.

As nuclear technology develops, the cost could decrease to the point where it becomes practical in developing countries, where people are particularly vulnerable to water scarcity.

Cleaning dye-contaminated water

The textile industry generates a substantial amount of water pollution, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the world’s total. Traditional methods of purifying water often fail to remove many of the harmful chemicals from the water used in the dying process of clothes.

An electron beam, generated by nuclear processes, can break down the tougher chemical bonds in water impurities. This leaves more minor impurities that can be more readily removed. In 2017, China opened its first radiation-based water-treatment plant.