A new method for processing nuclear waste, developed at Moscow State University, could enable higher recovery of uranium-235 from spent fuel. This advancement was reported by the university’s press service.
When designed and operated correctly, nuclear power plants remain a very safe and environmentally friendly source of energy. The main unresolved issue is the handling of nuclear fuel waste, which can be discarded or reprocessed to produce fresh nuclear fuel. The prevailing method is PUREX, a process that uses a sequence of redox reactions to separate materials. Yet PUREX has notable drawbacks because it coExtracts uranium, plutonium, and other unwanted components.
Researchers at Moscow State University have proposed a new extractor for the GANEX process, an alternative to PUREX that is less common. The first step in GANEX is to selectively remove uranium from the fuel, followed by extracting minor actinides from the nitric acid solution of spent nuclear fuel. Achieving high efficiency requires choosing extractants with strong, selective binding capabilities.
A compound based on phenanthroline, a nitrogen-rich polycyclic molecule, shows promise as such an extractant. In experiments with a uranium-containing solution at technological concentration, the team observed a novel property of the resulting uranium complex: the compounds can effectively bind large amounts of uranium. In the complex, one uranium particle resides in the cationic portion while another lies in the anionic portion. This behavior was not seen at lower uranium concentrations in model samples and has not been reported by other groups before, according to the researchers .
During ongoing work, the authors hope to identify additional extractants capable of absorbing substantial quantities of uranium-235 from fuel. If successful, future iterations could enable nearly complete extraction of radioactive uranium from waste, preserving ore and enhancing the safety of buried residues .
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