Lithium isotope separation

Published methods for 6Li-7Li lithium isotope separation have been reviewed. Future demand for 6Li, whose main use will be as a tritium breeder in blankets surrounding the core of DT fusion power reactors, is likely to exceed 5 Mg/a in the next century. The applicability of the various available methods to such a large scale production rate has been assessed. Research on improving the effectiveness of current lithium isotope separation processes has been carried out worldwide in several major areas during the past decade; these include two-phase chemical exchange systems, ion exchange resin chromatography, highly isotope-selective techniques like laser photoactivation and radiofrequency spectroscopy. Chemical exchange systems appear to offer good potential in the near term for 6Li enrichment