ABSTRACT
Separation processes in the nuclear industry were centered on liquid-liquid extraction for the recovery of weapons-usable materials and highly enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, distillation for the recovery of heavy water and radioactive gases, and chemisorption and filtration for off-gas and water cleanup and treatment. With the end of the Cold War, the decreased demand for weapons-usable plutonium and uranium enrichment, and the cessation of nuclear fuel reprocessing for the recovery of highly enriched uranium, many of the facilities in the United States nuclear complex became no longer needed for their original missions. Although the United States has chosen to reduce its Department of Energy nuclear complex, other nations continue to expand their nuclear facilities and capabilities. Waste processing scenarios at the different DOE sites involve separation of the stored radioactive wastes based upon activity into high- and low-level fractions. Separations of wastes are often required to simplify the hazard/risk issues to a level that can be resolved.
