F2. Depleted Uranium. These cylinders contain the "leftovers" of the uranium enrichment process. They sit in the back lot of a plant in Kentucky that sends natural uranium, in the form of a gas, through miles of pipes and filters to siphon off the more active molecule of U-235. Slightly enriched uranium is used as fuel for American commercial reactors; highly enriched uranium is used for nuclear weapons. The leftover gas, called "depleted uranium," is of little commercial use, so when Canada sends its uranium to the U.S. for enrichment, it leaves its depleted uranium behind. But depleted uranium plays a key role in the weapons industry: it can be transmuted into plutonium. Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, Kentucky. 8 December 1985.
These photographs by Robert Del Tredici are protected by copyright and are available for purchase as high-quality digital prints on archival paper or as silver gelatin prints from bdeltredici@hotmail.com.