Abstract
It was shown that, in contrast to the Purex process using aggressive and environmentally hazardous 8M HNO3 solutions for dissolving spent oxide nuclear fuel (SNF), this fuel can be easily dissolved in aqueous subacid ([H+] ∼0.1 M) solutions of Fe(III) nitrate (chloride) with partial separation of uranium and plutonium from fission products (FP). The low acidity of the solutions obtained (pH ∼1) allows direct application of modern technologies of finishing processing of nuclear fuel by fluoride, carbonate, oxalate, or peroxide precipitation of uranium and plutonium. It was established that U(VI) is isolated from nearly neutral nitric acid solutions as a poorly soluble uranyl hydroxylaminate complex after adding hydroxylamine. It was shown that on thermal decomposition at 200–300°C under ambient atmosphere this compound converts into uranium dioxide. A similar approach was applied to obtain mixed oxide uranium-plutonium fuel (MOX fuel).
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Original Russian Text © Yu.M. Kulyako, T.I. Trofimov, E.G. Il’in, B.F. Myasoedov, y2010, published in Rossiiskii Khimicheskii Zhurnal, 2010, Vol. 54, No. 3, pp. 35–39.
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Kulyako, Y.M., Trofimov, T.I., Il’in, E.G. et al. New approaches to processing and fabrication of oxide nuclear fuels. Russ J Gen Chem 81, 1960–1965 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1070363211090416
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1070363211090416