Invention Reference Number
Technetium is a radioactive isotope that is a byproduct of nuclear processing; there are currently limited mechanisms to capture technetium when uranium is recycled, hindering the efficient recycling of spent nuclear fuel. A novel approach, utilizing a guanidine-based aqueous complexant for selective and efficient technetium capture, promises to be both inexpensive and widely accessible.
Description
Currently, the United States does not recycle spent nuclear fuel, although this material can be reprocessed to provide clean energy. Instead, spent fuel is stored around the country, which is expensive. Technetium, a radioactive element, accompanies uranium during the separation process and is challenging to capture and remove. Countries that do recycle spent nuclear fuel, such as France, utilize highly concentrated acid to scrub technetium from uranium, which increases the overall cost of the process.
By using a water-soluble guanidine-based complexant, the capture of technetium is selective and efficient. In addition, guanidine is both a solid and commercially available, making its use easy and inexpensive. Guanidine not only captures technetium ions, but also reduces the technetium to a more stable state, while decomposing through oxidation during the process. This helps minimize waste production during the separation process, reducing demands for storage and potentially enabling easier recycling of spent fuel and the environmental cleanup of uranium disposal sites in the future. Additionally, technetium-99m, an isotope of technetium, is used widely in medical diagnostic procedures. The guanidine-based complexant could be used to capture waste streams resulting from the purification process.
Benefits
- Decreases costs
- Easily accessible
- Enables easier recycling of nuclear materials
Applications and Industries
- Used nuclear fuel reprocessing
- Environmental clean up
- Healthcare
Contact
To learn more about this technology, email partnerships@ornl.gov or call 865-574-1051.
