Recovery of fissile materials from nuclear wastes
Abstract
A process for recovering fissile materials such as uranium, and plutonium, and rare earth elements, from complex waste feed material, and converting the remaining wastes into a waste glass suitable for storage or disposal. The waste feed is mixed with a dissolution glass formed of lead oxide and boron oxide resulting in oxidation, dehalogenation, and dissolution of metal oxides. Carbon is added to remove lead oxide, and a boron oxide fusion melt is produced. The fusion melt is essentially devoid of organic materials and halogens, and is easily and rapidly dissolved in nitric acid. After dissolution, uranium, plutonium and rare earth elements are separated from the acid and recovered by processes such as PUREX or ion exchange. The remaining acid waste stream is vitrified to produce a waste glass suitable for storage or disposal. Potential waste feed materials include plutonium scrap and residue, miscellaneous spent nuclear fuel, and uranium fissile wastes. The initial feed materials may contain mixtures of metals, ceramics, amorphous solids, halides, organic material and other carbon-containing material.
- Inventors:
-
- Oak Ridge, TN
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 872559
- Patent Number(s):
- 5961679
- Assignee:
- U. S. Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
C - CHEMISTRY C03 - GLASS C03B - MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- recovery; fissile; materials; nuclear; wastes; process; recovering; uranium; plutonium; rare; earth; elements; complex; waste; feed; material; converting; remaining; glass; suitable; storage; disposal; mixed; dissolution; formed; lead; oxide; boron; resulting; oxidation; dehalogenation; metal; oxides; carbon; added; remove; fusion; melt; produced; essentially; devoid; organic; halogens; easily; rapidly; dissolved; nitric; acid; separated; recovered; processes; purex; exchange; stream; vitrified; produce; potential; scrap; residue; miscellaneous; spent; fuel; initial; contain; mixtures; metals; ceramics; amorphous; solids; halides; carbon-containing; acid waste; nuclear wastes; earth elements; waste feed; boron oxide; organic materials; feed material; waste stream; nitric acid; nuclear fuel; metal oxide; rare earth; spent nuclear; metal oxides; nuclear waste; fissile material; organic material; feed materials; lead oxide; waste glass; earth element; carbon-containing material; containing material; recovering fissile; glass formed; fissile materials; plutonium scrap; amorphous solid; /65/588/
Citation Formats
Forsberg, Charles W. Recovery of fissile materials from nuclear wastes. United States: N. p., 1999.
Web.
Forsberg, Charles W. Recovery of fissile materials from nuclear wastes. United States.
Forsberg, Charles W. Fri .
"Recovery of fissile materials from nuclear wastes". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/872559.
@article{osti_872559,
title = {Recovery of fissile materials from nuclear wastes},
author = {Forsberg, Charles W},
abstractNote = {A process for recovering fissile materials such as uranium, and plutonium, and rare earth elements, from complex waste feed material, and converting the remaining wastes into a waste glass suitable for storage or disposal. The waste feed is mixed with a dissolution glass formed of lead oxide and boron oxide resulting in oxidation, dehalogenation, and dissolution of metal oxides. Carbon is added to remove lead oxide, and a boron oxide fusion melt is produced. The fusion melt is essentially devoid of organic materials and halogens, and is easily and rapidly dissolved in nitric acid. After dissolution, uranium, plutonium and rare earth elements are separated from the acid and recovered by processes such as PUREX or ion exchange. The remaining acid waste stream is vitrified to produce a waste glass suitable for storage or disposal. Potential waste feed materials include plutonium scrap and residue, miscellaneous spent nuclear fuel, and uranium fissile wastes. The initial feed materials may contain mixtures of metals, ceramics, amorphous solids, halides, organic material and other carbon-containing material.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1999},
month = {1}
}
Works referenced in this record:
Recovery of Noble Metals from Fission Products
journal, May 1984
- Jensen, George A.; Platt, A. M.; Mellinger, George B.
- Nuclear Technology, Vol. 65, Issue 2
Conversion of radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes into borosilicate glass using the glass material oxidation and dissolution system
journal, January 1996
- Forsberg, C. W.; Beahm, E. C.; Parker, G. W.
- Waste Management, Vol. 16, Issue 7