Pure promethium: ORNL extracts in-demand isotope from plutonium leftovers | Scienmag: Latest Science and Health News

Pure promethium: ORNL extracts in-demand isotope from plutonium leftovers | Scienmag: Latest Science and Health News: Credit: Richard Mayes/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy A new method developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory proves one effort's trash is another's valuable isotope. One of the byproducts of the Department of Energy lab's national plutonium-238 production program is promethium-147, a rare isotope used in nuclear batteries and to measure…