Large scale production of fission 99Mo by using fuel elements of a research reactor as starting material

A procedure is described for the production of fission 99Mo. Starting from short period irradiated fuel elements of a research reactor the following steps are included: dissolution of the aluminium cladded fuel element in 6 N HNO3, separation of 99Mo from uranium and the bulk of other fission products by adsorption/desorption on alumina, and purification of the molybdenum fraction by means of high temperature volatilization. The procedure is particularly suitable for those who do not dispose of highly enriched uranium from high flux reactors. The total yield proved to be about 1200 Ci 99Mo from one fuel element containing 36 g 235U after irradiation at 5.1013 neutrons/cm2s for 200 h. The final product is well suited for manufacturing high-quality sup(99m)Tc generators. (author)