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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
The recycling of irradiated nuclear fuels contributes significantly to the sustainability of nuclear energy production. The well-established PUREX process to separate uranium and plutonium is pivotal to this recycling. Additionally, separating and recycling the minor actinides — most notably americium — further contributes to this goal. Internationally, efforts are made to develop novel solvent extraction processes for the separation of americium from irradiated nuclear fuels.
For more than three decades, the European Commission has continuously funded projects aimed at developing solvent extraction processes to separate minor actinides from PUREX raffinate. These projects are introduced and discussed, and the major outcomes are presented.
Bio: Dr. Andreas Geist studied chemistry at Technische Universität München, Germany, researching heavy metals separation from dilute effluents using non-dispersive chemical liquid-liquid extraction. Since 1997, he has been a staff scientist, radiation protection officer, and group leader for actinide coordination and solvent extraction chemistry at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (formerly Karlsruhe Research Centre), Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE).
Dr. Geist´s main research areas include hydrometallurgical separation of actinides and other metals, development of improved solvent systems and processes, and coordination chemistry of actinide N-donor complexes in solution. He has participated in numerous EURATOM research projects on actinide separations, education, and training, as well as participating in and coordinating several national projects on f element coordination chemistry.
Host: Seaborg Institute