• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.83-90
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• 2017

The pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel generates LiCl-KCl eutectic waste salt containing radioactive rare earth nuclides. It is necessary to develop a simple process for the treatment of LiCl-KCl eutectic waste in a hot-cell facility. In this study, capture and solidification of a rare earth nuclide (Nd) in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt using an inorganic composite with a $Li_2O-Al_2O_3-SiO_2-B_2O_3$ system was conducted to simplify the existing separation and solidification process of rare earth nuclides in LiCl-KCl eutectic waste salt from the pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. More than 98wt% of Nd in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt was captured when the mass ratio of the composite was 0.67 over $NdCl_3$ in the eutectic salt. The content of $Nd_2O_3$ in the Nd captured-composite reached about 50wt%, and this composite was directly fabricated into a homogeneous and chemical resistant glass waste in a monolithic form. These results will be utilized in designing a process to simplify the existing separation and solidification process.