Nuclear waste partitioning: Separation of ruthenium from technetium by reaction with ozone

The reaction chemistry of 99Tc, as LiTcO4, and 106Ru, as RuO4, has been investigated. Both of these isotopes are produced in significant quantities by the fission of either plutonium or uranium and represent a great challenge to the partitioning of nuclear waste. One proposal for rendering technetium to an environmentally benign element is the transmutation of technetium to ruthenium by reaction of 99Tc with thermal neutrons to form stable 100Ru. Los Alamos is currently investigating this possibility with the aid of an accelerator, (i.e., Accelerator Transmutation of Waste, ATW). Thus, the authors have initiated an investigation of the separation of ruthenium from technetium by means of reaction with ozone. The results of this investigation are reported including separation factors