Researchers from Russia have developed a new extractor designed to streamline the processing of nuclear fuel during decommissioning, aiming to enhance safety and efficiency. The development was announced by the press service of Moscow State University, signaling a notable advance in the field of nuclear fuel cycle management.
Nuclear power remains a prominent source of energy for many regions, including Canada and the United States, when conducted within strict construction and operation standards. A persistent challenge within this framework is handling spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive wastes. Traditional approaches have relied on secure landfilling for some waste streams or employed the Purex process to separate uranium and plutonium. However, these methods often leave behind highly radioactive actinides as well as cesium and strontium, creating long-term waste management considerations. Scientists are therefore pursuing a more closed fuel cycle that isolates radioactive components, with the goal of reprocessing materials into usable fuel and reducing the volume and radiotoxicity of waste. The underlying objective across these efforts is to recover as much material as possible to minimize environmental impact and improve resource efficiency for today and tomorrow. [Source: Moscow State University press service]
The newly developed extractor, described as a selective solvent, enables the extraction of actinides in a single processing cycle across their various oxidation states from spent fuel. This approach promises high separation factors and a substantial capacity of the extractant, addressing a key limitation of some existing schemes that rely on compounds with weaker binding to actinides, which can hamper processing efficiency. An important feature of the design is its operation in strongly acidic media, a condition originally optimized for the Purex process. By leveraging compatible chemical environments, the method avoids the need to overhaul established technologies and thereby minimizes the risk of generating additional secondary waste. This compatibility with proven systems is seen as a practical advantage in adopting the approach within current facilities and workflows.
According to researchers, the project has progressed beyond theoretical work. Teams have conducted extensive extraction experiments and successfully grown crystals of the extractable metal complexes. These results provide detailed insights into how metals transition into the organic phase and how they interact with the extractant, enabling a clearer picture of the extractor’s structure and behavior for specific actinide groups. This deepens understanding of the mechanism by which the solvent captures actinides and helps inform future optimization efforts. The researchers emphasize that the work lays a solid foundation for scaling up and applying the technology in real-world reprocessing scenarios, with ongoing efforts to refine the material’s properties and broaden its applicability. “The team continues to push forward in this direction,” stated physicist Natalya Borisova, highlighting the experimental momentum and the potential practical impact on fuel cycle management.
In related developments, engineers previously introduced innovations such as a quiet propeller designed to reduce noise in electric aircraft, underscoring a broader trend toward more sustainable and efficient energy technologies across different sectors. Although the current focus is on nuclear fuel processing, the overarching theme is clear: safer, cleaner, and more efficient energy systems are the shared goal, pursued through iterative scientific advances and careful engineering choices that balance performance with environmental responsibility.