All-Russian Research Institute of Chemical Technology

Management

Director General: SKOROVAROV, John Ivanovich Doctor of Engineering, Professor

Contact Information

Address: VNIIKHT, 33, Kashirskoe shosse, Moscow, 115230, Russia

Phone: 7 (095) 324-8759; 324-7584

Fax: 7 (095) 324-5441

E-mail: 3320.g23@g23.relcom.ru

History

The All-Russian Research Institute of Chemical Technology was founded in April 1951. The major goal of the Institute was to provide research and engineering solutions to the nuclear power engineering of the Soviet Union. Since 1951, the name of the Institute has been frequently changed. It received its current name in 1992.

Currently, the Institute of Chemical Technology supplies the Russian nuclear industry, defense production complex and economy with uranium and other major components of the nuclear fuel, pure nuclear materials, as well as materials with the required physical and chemical properties.

Major Areas of Activities

• Methods for search and mineralogical studies of the uranium mines;

• Methods and instrumentation for ore screening and sorting;

• Processing of uranium and complex ores and separation and recovery of radioactive elements;

• Underground and heap leaching for obtaining radioactive, non-ferrous and noble metals

• Chemistry and processes for fluorine and fluorine-bearing compounds of uranium and radionuclides in nuclear fuel cycle;

• Equipment and technologies for processing of rare earth elements and metals;

• Production of extremely pure metal oxides and ceramics for nuclear processes and microelectronics;

• Environmental protection for radioactive and rare earth metal processing.

Currently, the Institute of the Chemical Technology is involved in the development of the following technologies:

• Cost-effective and environmentally safe technologies for sorption and extraction of elements (uranium, lithium, berillium, tantalium, niobium, gold, tungsten, rare earth elements, circonium and hafnium);

• Geologic, hydrogeologic and geophysical survey and mining of uranium, lithium, berillium, gold and other elements;

• Enrichment of ores of various composition (sulfide, oxidized and mixed), new non-toxic reagents and equipment (gravitation, centrifugal and magnetic separators and radiometric systems);

• Environmentally friendly and highly efficient processes for production of fluoride and extremely pure fluoride derivatives (hydrofluoric acid, fluorine and fluorides);

• Controlled organic synthesis and production of selective ionites, extractants and memebranes;

• Environmentally safe technologies for radioachemical processing of waste containing natural and man-made radionuclides;

• Environmentally safe processes for production of ceramic fuel for NPPs that proves to be safer than other types of NPP fuel;

• Production of nuclear pure compounds and metals (tantalium, niobium, circonium, hafnium and rare earth elements).

• Application of uranium technologies in hydrometallurgical procceses for non-ferrous, refractory and noble metals;

• Production of extremely pure materials for fiber optics and microelectronics;

• Production of fluorine and fluorine-containing materials for synthesis of ozone-non-depleting freons;

• New methods of generating ceramic powders and circonium-based products, as well as powders and products based on other oxides (piezo- and construction ceramics, chemical sources of current);

• State-of-the-art physical and chemical methods for natural water and sewage decontamination, including sewage from thermal power, galvanic, cellulose and other production facilities.

• Synthesis of selective ion-exchange membranes and ionites for water decontamination and purification and for medical needs, etc.

• Production of extremely pure rare metals and their compounds, alloys and powders.

• Experimental Chemical Processing Plant

• System for Synthesis of Ionites and Membranes

• Autoclave Facility

• Subcritical Facility for Neutron Multiplication

• Metallurgical Systems for Production of Extremely Pure Materials

• Gaseous Centrifuges

• Production of Fluorine and Metal Fluorides

• Pilot-scale System on Ore Screening and Enrichment

Crown-ether Technologies for Extraction, Recovery, and Separation of 137Cs and 90Sr from Liquid Radioactive Waste

Principal Investigator: I.V. Mamakin

The CHEMCONVERS Department and the MAYAK Production Association have jointly developed a process for extraction recovery of 137Cs and 90Sr from liquid high-level waste by means of macrocyclic polyethers. For 90Sr recovery, dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 should be used, for 137Cs recovery, dibenzene-21-crown-7 should be used, while their simultaneous recovery requires the mixture of the mentioned crown-ethers.

The developed process makes it possible to process various radioactive waste, including highly salty one, without any modifications of its composition. The process only requires distilled water and, in some cases, a complexing agent, thereby facilitating its further management and preventing metal salt accumulation.

The crown-ether extraction system is non-toxic, fire- and explosion-proof and radiation resistant. The extraction recovery can be performed in mixer-settlers or centrifical contactors. The 90Sr selective recovery process has been tested on a production-scale at MAYAK Production Association. Over 2 million curies of 90Sr radioactivity have been generated in the form of highly pure salt-free concentrate. Currently, the flow sheet is being tested for preparing production-scale tests of 137Cs recovery from acid high-level waste.

Silica Gel Solidification for Treatment of Radioactive Waste

Principal Investigator: A.K. Nardova

The silica gel solidification method was developed by the Russian Research Institute for Chemical Technology and "Mayak" Production Association for stabilization of high- level liquid radioactive waste (HLW). Currently, the method is being considered for the direct stabilization of liquid radioactive waste, including transuranic liquid waste (TRU) and solutions of actinides (plutonium, neptunium).

The simple batch process involves adsorption of the waste solution into pellets of silica gel, followed by a brief heating cycle for solidification and stabilization of the species of interest (for example, plutonium) and potential subsequent recovery. If easy recovery of the adsorbed material is desired, the heating is conducted at relatively low temperatures, typically less than 350ºC. If long term storage or permanent disposal are desired, heating to 800-1000ºC converts the granules into dense, free-flowing particles suitable for packaging. The solidified material is convenient both for interim or long-term storage and/or disposal of plutonium. The solid waste form for Pu storage is characterized by low dust generation rates and a good flowability coefficient. To provide for an even more reliable immobilization of long-lived radionuclides, it is possible to incorporate the saturated silica gel granules into glass or ceramic compounds that are similar to the most durable natural minerals by applying melting or hot pressing technologies. The process does not require any hard-to-find materials or chemicals.

The silica gel treatment for stabilization of radioactive waste was demonstrated on a small scale for Pu, Np, U, Am, Tc and HLW. Preliminary tests indicate that silica gel has a very high capacity, up to 0.8 g/g silica gel for plutonium, up to 0.75 g/g silica gel for neptunium, more than 0.68 g/g silica gel for americium, up to 0.5g/g silica gel for cesium, up to 0.9 g/g silica gel for samarium, more than 0.45 g/g for technetium and up to 0.47 g/g silica gel for fission products. Silica gel produces a chemically stable and mechanically robust product. The product calcined at 900ºC did not leach in water or 3 M HNO3. The product calcined at 250 - 450ºC is recoverable with 3 M HNO3 at temperature of 25ºC. Solidification of Pu-bearing solutions with added gadolinium or boron as a neutron poison at the head end of the silica gel treatment process meets most of the criticality requirements. Pu can be incorporated into silica gel matrices together with fission products. Thus, the silica gel solidification process is capable of immobilizing all radioactive and stable elements that are present in HLW.

To provide for an even more reliable immobilization of long-lived radionuclides, it is possible to incorporate the saturated silica gel granules in glass or ceramic compounds that are similar to the most durable natural minerals by applying melting or hot pressing technologies.

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