Dissolution of WWER-1000 spent nuclear fuel in a weakly acidic solution of iron nitrate and recovery of actinides and rare earth elements with TBP solutions

Yu. S. Fedorov; Yu. M. Kulyako; I. V. Blazheva; N. D. Goletskii; B. Ya. Zilberman; M. M. Metalidi; Yu. Yu. Petrov; N. V. Ryabkova; S. E. Vinokurov; T. I. Trofimov; B. F. Myasoedov

doi:10.1134/S1066362216030073

Dissolution of WWER-1000 spent nuclear fuel in a weakly acidic solution of iron nitrate and recovery of actinides and rare earth elements with TBP solutions

Authors: Fedorov Y.S.¹, Kulyako Y.M.², Blazheva I.V.¹, Goletskii N.D.¹, Zilberman B.Y.¹, Metalidi M.M.¹, Petrov Y.Y.¹, Ryabkova N.V.¹, Vinokurov S.E.², Trofimov T.I.², Myasoedov B.F.²
Affiliations:
1. Khlopin Radium Institute
2. Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry
Issue: Vol 58, No 3 (2016)
Pages: 265-270
Section: Proceedings of the VIII Russian Conference on Radiochemistry “Radiochemistry-2015” (Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, September 28–October 2, 2015)
URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/1066-3622/article/view/223381
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1066362216030073
ID: 223381

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Abstract

It is demonstrated on real solutions of samples of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from WWER-1000 reactors (1000-MW_el water-cooled water-moderated energy reactors) that weakly acidic solutions of iron(III) nitrate at the molar ratio Fe(III): U ≥ 2.0 dissolve SNF with quantitative transfer of U and Pu into the solution. In the process, Fe partially precipitates in the form of a basic salt precipitate together with a part of the fission products (>90% of Ru, ~90% of Мо, >60% of Tc, and 40% of Zr) already in the step of the fuel dissolution. Cs, Eu, and Am pass into the solution together with U and Pu. With the required conditions followed, U and Pu can be separated from the solution by precipitation of their peroxides or quantitatively extracted from this solution with 30% TBP in Isopar L. The presence of ≥1 M Fe(NO₃)₃ in the solution considerably increases the distribution ratios of TPE and REE, which allows their recovery from a weakly acidic nitrate solution to be also performed with 30% TBP in a diluent. This process can serve in the future as a basis for the development of a new integrated technology combining the PUREX process with TPE partitioning using a common extractant.

Keywords

actinides, rare earth elements, spent nuclear fuel, iron nitrate, extraction, tributyl phosphate

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Dissolution of WWER-1000 spent nuclear fuel in a weakly acidic solution of iron nitrate and recovery of actinides and rare earth elements with TBP solutions

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About the authors

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