Faculty Advisor: Peter C. Burns, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences

Advancing Towards a Sustainable Future for Nuclear Energy (Summer 2024)

In addressing the pressing challenge of transitioning our nation’s energy supply to more sustainable and energy efficient alternatives, nuclear energy emerges as a crucial part of a low carbon grid. While nuclear energy is one of the best low-carbon energy alternatives to fossil fuels, there are still inefficiencies within the nuclear fuel cycle. One issue in particular is managing spent fuel, which can no longer generate energy but remains highly radioactive. One  effective strategy to minimize the amount of spent fuel is to reprocess it and extract fissile materials like uranium and plutonium, which can then be recycled into new fuel. Cluster separation technologies have demonstrated high efficiency, as clusters can significantly transfer a greater amount of uranyl ions than monomers, the latter being the conventional medium used in the reprocessing process. Understanding the basic chemistry of uranyl peroxide clusters and their formation is essential, as these clusters play an important role in the recovery of uranium.

It has been demonstrated that uranyl clusters can be synthesized by first adding excess hydrogen peroxide to uranyl nitrate, forming a precipitate. Subsequently adding a base to the solution causes a monomer to form. This monomer, over time with the breaking down of peroxide, creates uranyl peroxide clusters. The Burns Group has developed a reactor system that produces hydrogen peroxide in a solution using plasma electrolysis. My proposed research this summer aims to construct a reactor with consistent plasma conditions to investigate the feasibility of plasma electrolysis to synthesize uranyl peroxide clusters in solution in an environment with slow additions of hydrogen peroxide. Specifically, I will conduct experiments to determine if clusters can form by adding lithium hydroxide into a solution of uranyl nitrate, which would then undergo plasma electrolysis. Furthermore, I will examine the formation of hydrogen peroxide in the reactor, as its concentration will be a critical parameter for the formation of clusters. This research will enhance our knowledge of uranyl peroxide cluster formation, contributing to a more efficient nuclear fuel reprocessing, and ultimately, a more sustainable future for nuclear energy.