Plutonium oxide dissolution
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:
- Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE; 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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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COHERENT SCATTERING
DIFFRACTION
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INCINERATORS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MANAGEMENT
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITRIC ACID
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SCATTERING
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
X-RAY DIFFRACTION