Reprocessing

Reprocessing is the process of treating used materials or waste to recover valuable components, separate contaminants, and prepare the material for reuse or safe disposal. It is applied in several domains, including the nuclear fuel cycle, industrial recycling, and waste management.

In the nuclear context, reprocessing aims to recover uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel so they can be recycled into new fuel. Spent fuel contains usable fissile material along with fission products and minor actinides; reprocessing can reduce waste volume, reclaim energy resources, and enable continued use of fuel. The dominant commercial method is aqueous chemical processing, notably the PUREX (plutonium-uranium redox) process, which uses solvent extraction to separate uranium and plutonium from fission products. Pyroprocessing, an electrochemical approach conducted at high temperature, is being studied as an alternative for certain reactor types and fuels.

Historically, large-scale reprocessing facilities have operated in countries such as France (La Hague), the United Kingdom (Sellafield), and Japan (Rokkasho). The United States has conducted research but has limited or no active commercial reprocessing. Policy, economics, and nonproliferation concerns influence whether and how reprocessing is pursued in different jurisdictions.

Benefits of reprocessing include more efficient use of nuclear fuel resources, potential reductions in high-level waste volume, and enhanced energy security. Drawbacks comprise high capital and operating costs, technical complexity, long-term waste management challenges, and proliferation risks if separated plutonium is not safeguarded effectively.

Beyond nuclear fuel, reprocessing can refer to broader recycling efforts to recover metals, plastics, solvents, and other materials from waste streams for reuse, reducing environmental impact and resource extraction.