What does the PUREX process produce?

What does the PUREX process produce?

• A. Purified Uranium and Plutonium in separate streams
• B. Pure water and borated shielding
• C. Cooled spent fuel in a single stream
• D. Fission products concentrated for waste

Answer: (A)

PUREX is a chemical reprocessing method that uses solvent extraction to separate the spent fuel’s uranium and plutonium from the fission products. The dissolved fuel forms an organic- and aqueous-phase system where uranium and plutonium are moved into separate streams. Through redox control and back-extraction steps, each element is stripped into its own purified aqueous stream, giving two distinct product streams: one enriched uranium solution and one plutonium solution, both suitable for conversion to oxide or metal for reuse. The remaining raffinate contains the fission products and is treated as waste. So the process yields purified uranium and purified plutonium in separate streams.

PUREX is a chemical reprocessing method that uses solvent extraction to separate the spent fuel’s uranium and plutonium from the fission products. The dissolved fuel forms an organic- and aqueous-phase system where uranium and plutonium are moved into separate streams. Through redox control and back-extraction steps, each element is stripped into its own purified aqueous stream, giving two distinct product streams: one enriched uranium solution and one plutonium solution, both suitable for conversion to oxide or metal for reuse. The remaining raffinate contains the fission products and is treated as waste. So the process yields purified uranium and purified plutonium in separate streams.