DISTRIBUTION OF TECHETIUM IN PUREX PROCESS STREAMS

摘要

Technetium-99 is one of the long-lived fission products (T_(1/2) = 2.11 x 10~5 y) having high fission yield (6.13 percent) and therefore is an important radionuclide from the point of view of long term nuclear waste management. Technetium exists as TcO_4 under oxidizing conditions and gets reduced toTcO_2 under reducing conditions. Tc is therefore found in almost all the steps of reprocessing streams, A part of TcO_4 is extracted together with uranium, during the PUREX process as per the following reaction [1, 2].