Plutonium oxide dissolution

Technical Report · Wed Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6689883· OSTI ID:6689883

Gray, J H

Several processing options for dissolving plutonium oxide (PuO[sub 2]) from high-fired materials have been studied. The scoping studies performed on these options were focused on PuO[sub 2] typically generated by burning plutonium metal and PuO[sub 2] produced during incineration of alpha contaminated waste. At least two processing options remain applicable for dissolving high-fired PuO[sub 2] in canyon dissolvers. The options involve solid solution formation of PuO[sub 2] With uranium oxide (UO[sub 2]) and alloying incinerator ash with aluminum. An oxidative dissolution process involving nitric acid solutions containing a strong oxidizing agent, such as cerium (IV), was neither proven nor rejected. This uncertainty was due to difficulty in regenerating cerium (IV) ions during dissolution. However, recent work on silver-catalyzed dissolution of PuO[sub 2] with persulfate has demonstrated that persulfate ions regenerate silver (II). Use of persulfate to regenerate cerium (IV) or bismuth (V) ions during dissolution of PuO[sub 2] materials may warrant further study.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 6689883
• Report Number(s): WSRC-RP-92-1155; ON: DE93007977
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
DISSOLUTION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
INCINERATORS
NITRIC ACID
PLUTONIUM
URANIUM OXIDES
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
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COHERENT SCATTERING
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INORGANIC ACIDS
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NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
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OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SCATTERING
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
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052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing