4. Process overview

4.1 Evolution

Reprocessing processes were originally developed to produce plutonium for military use.

The first large-scale process was the bismuth phosphate process used at the Hanford plant in the U.S. from 1945, less than 5 years after G.T. Seaborg's discovery of plutonium. Seaborg. The process involved forming a precipitate of bismuth phosphate in the nitric dissolving solution, taking the plutonium with it. The precipitate was then separated by centrifugation. This discontinuous operation had to be repeated several times to achieve the required purity.

The use of solvent extraction as a separative method marked a decisive turning point. This method allows continuous, countercurrent operations on homogeneous phases, resulting in...