A new technology of radioactive waste reprocessing was developed in Vernadsky Institute of geochemistry and analytical chemistry (GEOKHI). This technology allows to extract more 99% uranium, almost all plutonium (99,7%) and more 98% americium. Russian chemists used reagent diphenyl phosphine oxide, which can form steady complex with uranium, fission products and other the most long-lived actinides. One can extract not only all uranium and plutonium from preliminary solute spent nuclear fuel but and other high active and dangerous radionuclides by using this reagent. The disadvantage of this reagent is a high cost, since it is difficulty to synthesize it.

In order to solve this problem, GEOKHI scientists found conditions, under which minimum amount of diphenyl phosphine oxide allows to extract maximum amount of radionuclides. The second approach of the scientists is to use cheaper reagents.

SOURCE: AtomInfo.Ru

DATE: July 12, 2007

Topics: Spent Fuel, Russia