Chiel555 said:
Is nuclear fusion without radioactive waste possible ?
Not as yet. This would require an aneutronic fusion reaction, i.e., a fusion reaction that does not produce neutrons.
One reaction of interest is the p +
11B reaction, which requires very high temperatures, with corresponding high pressures.
The easiest reaction to accomplish is the d + t fusion, but that produces 14.1 MeV neutrons, which escape the plasma or reaction site and eventually find an atomic nucleus in the surrounding structure. A nucleus absorbs a neutron, increases the atomic mass by 1 amu, which most of the is radioactive. Over time, the structural material becomes radioactive.
d+d fusion is also possible, but produces a neutron about 50% of the time.
Another reaction is d +
3He -> p +
4He, but that requires a higher temperature than d+d or d+t. However, with d in the plasma, some d + d reactions will necessarily occur.
The higher the Z (atomic number) the greater the losses due to recombination, bremsstrahlung radiation, not to mention the increased electron pressure (Z electrons to maintain charge neutrality).