Advanced Low-Temperature Chlorination of Zirconium

Recovery of Zr from nuclear fuel is of high interest because the Zr cladding material comprises up to 50% of the high-level radioactive waste (HLW) that requires disposition. An ideal Zr-recovery process would not only recover the bulk Zr from the fuel or cladding but would also provide decontamination from the components that give rise to the HLW designation. A simplified decontamination pathway providing recovered Zr in compliance with low-level radioactive waste acceptance criteria could significantly reduce the burden of HLW requiring geologic disposition. A newly developed advanced low-temperature chlorination process presents an opportunity to recover a ZrCl4 product that is effectively decontaminated from the elements of concern. This advanced low-temperature chlorination process uses a mixture of the sulfur-containing chlorination compounds sulfur monochloride (S₂Cl₂) and thionyl chloride (SOCl₂).