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2013 Archive
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Author(s): Natasha Pence , Anne F. Farawila
Presentation: poster
Nuclear energy can be made more sustainable and secure by reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. Traditional reprocessing techniques such as the Plutonium and URanium EXtraction process (PUREX) generate large amounts of aqueous and organic high level waste. Our project uses supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO2) as a medium for extracting uranium from spent nuclear fuel. TriButyl Phosphate (TBP) and nitric acid can form a complex which is soluble in Sc-CO2 and makes uranium oxides (UO2, UO3 or U3O8) available for extraction. This method reduces the volume of aqueous and nuclear waste that is produced. Using the supercritical fluid extraction system developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory we demonstrated complete extraction of uranium into the organic phase. Other actinides are co-extracted with this process. To minimize the risk of plutonium proliferation, we use a complexant (acetohydroxamic acid or oxalic acid) to selectively extract uranium and leave plutonium with the fission products.
The College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd Caldwell, ID 8360 USA 208-459-5011 800-2C-IDAHO