ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors has been operating and developing a process that uses direct electrorefining of oxide fuels —which is quite similar to the US version of pyroprocessing. The sustainability of nuclear energy implies strategic long-term planning for managing the nuclear waste which requires a study of applicable solutions for minimizing the quantity and the hazardous of final waste. Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels began during World War II to obtain weapons materials. Reactors then were production reactors because their primary purpose was the production of plutonium. The chemical composition and the associated phases of irradiated nuclear fuel can be determined by the state-of-the art post-irradiation examination as established at Atomic Energy Commission, Cadarache, France, at the Institute of Transuranic Elements at Karlsruhe, Germany. The main challenge that recycling is facing today is to develop, demonstrate, and deploy economic, proliferation-resistant nuclear fuel recycling processes appropriate for the power grids of developing countries and regions.
