Method and sorption column for reprocessing. they are contained in an acidic solution, it is advantageous to - and / or breeding as a substance or substances with thorium

摘要

A method of regenerating fuel and/or breeder elements with thorium as breeder material for nuclear reactors. The fuel and/or breeder material is dissolved in an acid such as nitric acid, sulfuric acid or the like and the thus obtained solution is subjected to a liquid-liquid reaction with an extraction substance such as tributyl phosphate dissolved in an organic solvent. The fuel material and breeder material are enriched in the organic phase and the fission products remain in the aqueous phase, whereafter the fuel material and/or breeder material are converted into oxides, carbides etc. Prior to the above mentioned liquid-liquid extraction, the acid solution containing the fuel material and/or breeder material is passed over a sorption column in such a way that the number of mols of adsorbed 233Pa per time unit equals the number of mols of 233Pa disintegrating per time unit in the sorption column to form 233U.