The PUREX process is expensive and leaves one with other transuranics and the fission products as waste. However the pyrometallurgical process extracts all actinides and leaves mostly just fission products. The resultant fuel is a fast fuel. Furthermore by extracting actinides as a group, the proliferation threat is reduced. I believe this is a practical approach to the reprocessing of light water power reactor fuel.
By fully burning the actinides and disposing of only the fission products, the waste volume is significantly reduced as is the amount of decay heat produced (a primary limiting factor to waste storage).
An overview of this topic exists in the December 2005 issue of Scientific American beginning on page 84.
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The PUREX process is expensive and leaves one with other transuranics and the fission products as waste. However the pyrometallurgical process extracts all actinides and leaves mostly just fission products. The resultant fuel is a fast fuel. Furthermore by extracting actinides as a group, the proliferation threat is reduced. I believe this is a practical approach to the reprocessing of light water power reactor fuel.
By fully burning the actinides and disposing of only the fission products, the waste volume is significantly reduced as is the amount of decay heat produced (a primary limiting factor to waste storage).
An overview of this topic exists in the December 2005 issue of Scientific American beginning on page 84.