Nuclear reprocessing

Nuclear reprocessing is the chemical separation of <a href="/facts/Fission_products/xJd9MXXH">fission products</a> and <a href="/facts/Actinide/kHC4lxJV">actinides</a> from <a href="/facts/Spent_nuclear_fuel/jWDWvJ6d">spent nuclear fuel</a>. Originally, reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing <a href="/facts/Nuclear_weapon/QVdBcMdm">nuclear weapons</a>. With commercialization of <a href="/facts/Nuclear_power/jzSyvxSn">nuclear power</a>, the reprocessed plutonium was recycled back into <a href="/facts/MOX_nuclear_fuel/3tKw5I8q">MOX nuclear fuel</a> for <a href="/facts/Thermal_reactor/tQQ71GtJ">thermal reactors</a>. The <a href="/facts/Reprocessed_uranium/xNEHPzNQ">reprocessed uranium</a>, also known as the spent fuel material, can in principle also be re-used as fuel, but that is only economical when uranium supply is low and prices are high. Nuclear reprocessing may extend beyond fuel and include the reprocessing of other nuclear reactor material, such as <a href="/facts/Zircaloy/1mrpJjWL">Zircaloy</a> cladding.
The high <a href="/facts/Radioactivity/Ya6FVjt4">radioactivity</a> of spent nuclear material means that reprocessing must be highly controlled and carefully executed in advanced facilities by specialized personnel. Numerous processes exist, with the chemical based <a href="/facts/PUREX/b4YP5sqt">PUREX</a> process dominating. Alternatives include heating to drive off volatile elements, burning via oxidation, and <a href="/facts/Fluoride_volatility/Ckc3ltaq">fluoride volatility</a> (which uses extremely reactive <a href="/facts/Fluorine/YUV0Fb8m">Fluorine</a>). Each process results in some form of refined nuclear product, with <a href="/facts/Radioactive_waste/MjYh5tlu">radioactive waste</a> as a byproduct. Because this could allow for <a href="/facts/Weapons-grade_nuclear_material/o2S0c30F">weapons grade nuclear material</a>, nuclear reprocessing is a concern for <a href="/facts/Nuclear_proliferation/f8dSJyAR">nuclear proliferation</a> and is thus tightly regulated.
Relatively high cost is associated with spent fuel reprocessing compared to the once-through fuel cycle, but fuel use can be increased and <a href="/facts/Radioactive_waste/MjYh5tlu">waste</a> volumes decreased. Nuclear fuel reprocessing is performed routinely in Europe, Russia, and Japan. In the United States, the Obama administration stepped back from President Bush's plans for commercial-scale reprocessing and reverted to a program focused on reprocessing-related scientific research. Not all nuclear fuel requires reprocessing; a <a href="/facts/Breeder_reactor/jt0VeXUa">breeder reactor</a> is not restricted to using recycled plutonium and uranium. It can employ all the <a href="/facts/Actinide/kHC4lxJV">actinides</a>, closing the <a href="/facts/Nuclear_fuel_cycle/flBannfd">nuclear fuel cycle</a> and potentially multiplying the energy extracted from <a href="/facts/Natural_uranium/lgFulQYb">natural uranium</a> by about 60 times.

Nuclear reprocessing open-in-new

Nuclear reprocessing