METHOD FOR CESIUM-STRONTIUM FRACTION EXTRACTION FROM LIQUID HIGH-LEVEL WASTE USING A CROWN ETHER-BASED EXTRACTANT: OPTIMIZATION AND TESTING

This paper elaborates on a method providing the extraction of cesium-strontium fraction that has been refined and
tested to support the implementation of the new Sustainable Nuclear Fuel Cycle product line. An extraction mixture
based on the dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 and dibenzo-21-crown-7 crown ethers in trihydrododecafluoroheptanol
(n₃ telomer alcohol) was applied. The test was conducted on a pilot unit using mixer-settler-type extractors fitted
within a “hot” chamber at the RT-1 plant. Highly active PUREX raffinate generated from the reprocessing of spent
nuclear fuel (SNF) from a WWER-1000 reactor unit was used as a feed solution. Approximately 7 dm³ of cesiumstrontium
concentrate was produced in a continuous dynamic mode. The study demonstrates the high degree of the
cesium-strontium (short-lived) fraction treatment from long-lived radionuclides.

Keywords: high-level waste (HLW), extraction, crown ether, dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6, dibenzo-21-crown-7, n₃ telomer alcohol, short-lived fraction, cesium, strontium, radioactive waste.

Shirokov A. I., Voroshilov Yu. A., Konnikov A. V., Lukin S. A., Logunov M. V., Chadov S. M. Method for Cesium-Strontium Fraction Extraction from Liquid High-Level Waste Using a Crown Ether-Based Extractant: Optimization and Testing Radioactive Waste, 2026, no. 2 (35), pp. 55—62. DOI: 10.25283/2587-9707-2026-2-55-62 (In Russian).