• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.109-114
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• 2020

This work presents the results of laboratory scale tests of the CARBOFLUOREX (CARBOnate FLUORide EXtraction) process - a novel technology for the recovery of U and Pu from the solid fluorides residue (fluorination ash) of Fluoride Volatility Method (FVM) reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). To study the oxidative leaching of U from the fluorination ash (FA) by Na₂CO₃ or Na₂CO₃-H₂O₂ solutions followed by solvent extraction by methyltrioctylammonium carbonate in toluene and purification of U from the fission products (FPs) impurities we used a surrogate of FA consisting of UF₄ or UO₂F₂, and FPs fluorides with stable isotopes of Ce, Zr, Sr, Ba, Cs, Fe, Cr, Ni, La, Nd, Pr, Sm. Purification factors of U from impurities at the solvent extraction refining stage reached the values of 10⁴-10⁵, and up to 10⁶ upon the completion of the processing cycle. Obtained results showed a high efficiency of the CARBOFLUOREX process for recovery and separating of U from FPs contained in FA, which allows completing of the FVM cycle with recovery of U and Pu from hardly processed FA.