• Resources Recycling
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.57-64
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• 2013

Sulfurization reaction characteristics of $Eu_2O_3$, uranium oxides($UO_2$, $U_3O_8$), mixture of $Eu_2O_3$ and uranium oxides, Eu-doped uranium oxides($(U,Eu)O_2$, $(U,Eu)_3O_8$), and phase-separated products prepared by HOX (High temperature OXidation) of $(U,Eu)O_2$ were investigated in the temperature range from 400 to $800^{\circ}C$. Only $Eu_2O_3$ in the mixture of $Eu_2O_3$ and uranium oxides was converted into $Eu_3S_4$ by sulfurization reaction at $450^{\circ}C$ without reaction between them. Sulfurization reaction behavior of $(U,Eu)_3O_8$ and $(U,Eu)O_2$ up to $600^{\circ}C$ was similar to $U_3O_8$ and $UO_2$, respectively, while they were sulfurized into Eu-rich $(U,Eu)S_x$ and ${\alpha}-US_2$ at $800^{\circ}C$. In the sulfurization of RE-rich $(U,Eu)_4O_9$ and $U_3O_8$ prepared by high temperature oxidation, it was confirmed that RE-rich $(U,Eu)S_x$ and UOS phases were formed at $600^{\circ}C$. For Eu-rich $(U,Eu)O_2$ and $UO_2$ prepared by reduction of HOX products, it was identified that Eu-rich (U,Eu)OS was formed at $450^{\circ}C$ by sulfurization of Eu-rich $(U,Eu)O_2$, while $UO_2$ remained unreacted.