Radioactive Waste Issues Related to Production of Fission-based 99Mo by using Low Enriched Uranium (LEU)

Abstract

Technetium-99m (99mTc) is an important, short-lived decay product of molybdenum-99 (99Mo), and it is considered the backbone of the modern nuclear diagnostic procedures. Since fission of 235U is the main source of production of 99Mo, either highly-enriched uranium (HEU) targets or low-enriched uranium (LEU) targets are irradiated in the research reactors. The use of LEU targets is being promoted by the international community to avoid the proliferation issues linked with the use of HEU. In order to define the waste management strategy at the planning stage of establishment of an LEU based 99Mo production facility, the impact of the use of LEU targets on the radioactive waste stream of the 99Mo production facility was analyzed. Because the volume of uranium waste is estimated to increase six times, the use of high uranium density targets and the utilization of hot isostatic pressing were recommended to reduce the increased waste volume from the use of LEU based targets.