Separation of mixtures of chemical elements in plasma

This paper reviews proposals on the plasma processing of radioactive waste (RW) and spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The chemical processing of SNF based on the extraction of its components from water solutions is rather expensive and produces new waste. The paper considers experimental research on plasma separation of mixtures of chemical elements and isotopes, whose results can help evaluate the plasma methods of RW and SNF reprocessing. The analysis identifies the difference between ionization levels of RW and SNF components at their transition to the plasma phase as a reason why all plasma methods are difficult to apply. (reviews of topical problems)