A process conception of an advanced reprocessing based on Purex process incorporating the partitioning function

An advanced reprocessing concept, PARC progress was proposed to incorporate the partitioning with the Purex process. The goal of PARC is to reduce the total risk due to long-lived nuclides in the reprocessing waste management. PARC plans to separate such long-lived nuclides as C-14 and I-129 in head-end, neptunium and technetium in extraction, and americium and curium from acidic raffinate. Effective reduction of iodine retained was achieved by adding potassium iodate to dissolver solution. Separation of neptunium before U/Pu partitioning step was successfully demonstrated by vanadium oxidation and reductive stripping with butyr-aldehyde. A possibility of acid scrubbing of technetium is being shown. (authors)