Nuclear reprocessing

Common card · No. 374406

Nuclear reprocessing is the chemical separation of fission products and actinides from spent nuclear fuel. Originally, reprocessing was used to extract plutonium for producing nuclear weapons. With commercialization of nuclear power, reprocessed plutonium was recycled into MOX nuclear fuel for thermal reactors. Reprocessed uranium can in principle be re-used as fuel. Nuclear reprocessing may include the reprocessing of other nuclear reactor material, such as Zircaloy cladding. The high radioactivity of spent fuel means that reprocessing must be controlled and executed in advanced facilities by specialized personnel. Numerous processes exist, dominated by the chemical-based PUREX process. Alternatives include heating to drive off volatile elements, oxidation, and fluoride volatility (which uses reactive fluorine gas). Each process results in some form of refined nuclear product, with radioactive waste as a byproduct. Because this could allow production of weapons grade nuclear material,...

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