Coordination Chemistry of Actinide Nitrates with Cyclic Amide Derivatives for the Development of the Nuclear Fuel Materials Selective Precipitation (NUMAP) Reprocessing Method. Issue 36 (7th August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Takao, Koichiro; Ikeda, Yasuhisa
• Is Part Of: European journal of inorganic chemistry. Issue 36(2020)
• Page Start: 3443
• Page End: 3459
• Publication Date: 2020-08-07
• Subjects: Actinides -- Nitrato complexes -- Structure elucidation -- Precipitation -- Coordination polymers -- Reprocessing; Chemistry, Inorganic -- Periodicals; Organometallic chemistry -- Periodicals; Bioinorganic chemistry -- Periodicals; Solid state chemistry -- Periodicals; 546
• DOI: 10.1002/ejic.202000504
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1434-1948

Abstract

Abstract : Nuclear fuel recycling is one of promising options to resolve current issues arising from energy security and nuclear wastes. Chemical separation called reprocessing aims to recover recyclable nuclear fuel materials from spent fuels, and also to reduce the volume of high‐level radioactive wastes. Even today, solvent extraction is extensively employed as a principal method for reprocessing, while there are also several safety and security concerns arising from use of large amount of organic solvents and potential isolation of highly purified (namely "decontaminated") Pu. To resolve these issues, we propose selective precipitation of nuclear fuel materials as an alternative principle for the spent fuel reprocessing. In this minireview, we outlined history of our development of precipitation‐based reprocessing methods for spent nuclear fuels from serendipitous discovery of N ‐cyclohexyl‐2‐pyrrolidone to current status reaching our simple and versatile reprocessing concept, NU clear fuel MA terials selective P recipitation (NUMAP). Abstract : As an alternative option for the nuclear fuel cycle, we dedicated our efforts to develop precipitation‐based reprocessing to recover U, Pu, and Th from spent nuclear fuels in the last two decades. Based on coordination chemistry, N ‐alkylated 2‐pyrrolidone derivatives have been designed and optimized as efficient and selective precipitants for UO2 2+ and tetravalent actinides from nitric dissolver solutions of spent nuclear fuels.