Safe management of actinides in the nuclear fuel cycle: Role of mineralogy

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During the past 60 years, more than 1800 metric tonnes of Pu, and substantial quantities of the “minor” actinides, such as Np, Am and Cm, have been generated in nuclear reactors. Some of these transuranium elements can be a source of energy in fission reactions (e.g., 239Pu), a source of fissile material for nuclear weapons (e.g., 239Pu and 237Np), and of environmental concern because of their long-half lives and radiotoxicity (e.g., 239Pu and 237Np). There are two basic strategies for the disposition of these heavy elements: (1) to “burn” or transmute the actinides using nuclear reactors or accelerators; (2) to “sequester” the actinides in chemically durable, radiation-resistant materials that are suitable for geologic disposal. There has been substantial interest in the use of actinide-bearing minerals, especially isometric pyrochlore, A 2B 2O 7 (A = rare earths; B = Ti, Zr, Sn, Hf), for the immobilization of actinides, particularly plutonium, both as inert matrix fuels and nuclear waste forms. Systematic studies of rare-earth pyrochlores have led to the discovery that certain compositions (B = Zr, Hf) are stable to very high doses of alpha-decay event damage. Recent developments in our understanding of the properties of heavy element solids have opened up new possibilities for the design of advanced nuclear fuels and waste forms.