Treatment of radwastes from medical radioisotope production

Majority of Mo-99 supplied in the market is fissionbased Mo-99 produced by the fission of U-235 in research reactors. In spite of substitutive production schemes, reactor-based fission Mo-99 (FM) exhibits significant advantages with higher specific activity (⁓104Ci/g) with lower production cost. It is not only because of the 50% less yield, but also because of the radioactive waste increase by 200%. Therefore, designing optimal radwaste treatment system for FM production is becoming more important. To achieve production objective (2,000 Ci/week) ofMo-99 in KJRR, KAERI is developing the FM production process with dedicated facility. Weekly production of 2,000 Ci (100,000 Ci/yr, 6-day calibration) Mo-99 will cover 100% domestic, as well as 20% of international demand. Every year, 3,000 L of ILW and 10 kg of spent uranium is expected to be treated. Therefore, development of radwaste treatment program for the FM production is one of the most essential piece for the successful construction, licensing and operation of the new research reactor (KJRR), which is being constructed in Gijang, Busan, Korea