The distribution behaviors of neptunium and technetium in an advanced PUREX process, PARC process (Partitioning Conundrum key process), were studied in a chemical flow sheet experiment using spent fuel of 8,000 MWD/tU in an α-γ cell in NUCEF. PARC process aims to reduce the radioactive waste volume containing TRU elements and the environmental hazard risk due to long-lived nuclides. In the separation of neptunium and technetium from plutonium and uranium solutions before the U/Pu partitioning step in the PARC process, the selective reduction of Np(VI) to Np(V) by normal-butyraldehyde and the high acid scrubbing of technetium are considered. The experimental data show that n-butyraldehyde was an effective reductant of Np(VI) in the presence of uranium and plutonium and that the high acid scrubbing was effective for Tc separation.
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