Here are three examples of how the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory partners with industry and others to turn promising ideas into practical used nuclear fuel recycling technologies
A partnership spanning decades
In the 1980s and 1990s, Japan evaluated two options for a new fleet of nuclear reactors. One option relied on plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. The other would rely on Argonne’s Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) technology, which uses metal fuel and pyroprocessing for fuel recycling.
Pyroprocessing uses electrochemistry to refine used fuel from light-water reactors into new, recycled fuel for advanced reactors. Advanced nuclear systems that incorporate pyroprocessing generate less waste than current reactors, and the waste they do produce is less complicated to store.
Japan chose MOX, but is now re-evaluating technologies for a new fleet of reactors. Argonne provides support by studying, developing and improving integral fast reactors, pyroprocessing and metal fuel recycling capabilities.
Bridging design concepts to disposal solutions
Today, 94 light-water reactors provide approximately 20% of total electricity in the United States — about 100 gigawatts. The nation’s goal is to add 300 more gigawatts from nuclear energy by 2050. Without a fuel recycling strategy, that increase could lead to an excess of used nuclear fuel that would require long-term storage.
Deep Isolation’s deep borehole repository technology could improve storage and disposal of the waste that remains after used nuclear fuel recycling. Argonne has partnered with Deep Isolation to convert the stable oxides in used nuclear fuel into a metallic form. This is necessary for electrochemical processing and it’s the first step in recycling used nuclear fuel.
Argonne also partners with Case Western Reserve University and Oklo Inc. to demonstrate processing technologies and evaluate the process’s feedstock.
Argonne works with Oklo to develop advanced sensor technologies, machine-learning methods and digital-twin capabilities for electrorefining. These tools support high-fidelity material accountancy, facility-wide anomaly detection, security, and process efficiency.
“The goal is always to advance the state of technologies to make them industrially ready,” said Steven DelaCruz, an Argonne chemical engineer. “We close technical gaps that might pose risk.”
Expertise that’s up to the challenge
SHINE is developing a process that uses Argonne-developed centrifugal contactors — devices that spin to efficiently separate mixed liquids — to create a safer, more efficient recycling method that is ready for industry adoption.
Argonne and SHINE test equipment that could be used in large-scale facilities. They use unique 3D printers to build custom parts. These prototypes are tested under real chemical conditions and produce minimal radioactive waste. This makes them ideal for early development before industrial scale-up.
DOE provides support through its Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF), the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) program, and the Advanced Research Partners Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
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