ABSTRACT
The discovery of plutonium and the earliest technical processes for its separation from irradiated uranium, its purification, and its preparation as pure compounds all utilize precipitation and crystallization processes. Conversion of plutonium from purified aqueous solutions to compounds of technical utility still involves precipitation and crystallization processes. Chemical recovery processes, based on precipitation and crystallization, have been developed to decrease the quantities of process materials relegated to waste. Precipitation is also used in removing radioactive contaminants from process waste solutions in reprocessing and finishing, be they fission products or transuranic elements including plutonium. The separation, purification, conversion, chemical recovery, and waste treatment processes by precipitation and crystallization are examined and outlined in this chapter. General design features and attributes of the process equipment are also addressed.
