Electrochemical Separation of Alkaline-Earth Elements from Molten Salts Using Liquid Metal Electrodes

Nigl, Thomas P.; Lichtenstein, Timothy; Kong, Yuran; Kim, Hojong

doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c04249

Electrochemical Separation of Alkaline-Earth Elements from Molten Salts Using Liquid Metal Electrodes

Journal Article · Thu Sep 10 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c04249· OSTI ID:1659263

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Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Penn State University
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)

Closing the nuclear fuel cycle requires recycling used nuclear fuel. Additional waste is generated during recycling due to fission products accumulating in processing salts (LiCl-KCl). Reducing waste generated during recycling entails recovering alkaline-earth fission products (Ba²⁺/Sr²⁺) from molten chlorides with a minimal loss of bulk electrolyte constituents (Li⁺/K⁺). Electrochemical co-deposition of Ba²⁺/Li⁺ and Sr²⁺/Li⁺ into liquid metal (Bi, Sb, Sn, Pb) and alloy (Bi-Sb) electrodes was investigated in LiCl-KCl-(BaCl₂, SrCl₂) electrolytes at 500 °C and 650 °C. For the pure Bi (500 °C) and Sb (650 °C) electrodes, the greatest percentage of charge was used to deposit Ba and Sr. Effective recovery of Ba/Sr by liquid Bi and Sb electrodes is supported via experimentally determined activity values of Ba/Sr in Bi and Sb. Alloying Sb with Bi increased Ba recovery but decreased Sr recovery, as compared to recovery using the liquid Bi electrode. Here, the results suggest that alkaline-earth fission products can be recovered from molten chlorides by liquid metal electrodes via electrochemical separation, thereby providing a methodology to reduce the generation of nuclear waste from nuclear fuel recycling.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: NE0008757

OSTI ID:: 1659263

Journal Information:: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Journal Name: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Journal Issue: 39 Vol. 8; ISSN 2168-0485

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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