FIELD: nuclear power engineering. SUBSTANCE: nuclear fuel is cooled down, cut, and dissolved in nitric acid whereupon it is brought in contact with extracting agent, that is dicarbolic complex of cobalt and polyester dissolved in solvent containing inorganic compound. Used as dicarbolic complex of cobalt are compounds of formula (1,2-RCBgHg-yXyCR1)2CoH, where R and R1 are hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl with 1-7 atoms of hydrogen; X is halide; y= 0-3. Concentration of metal carbolic compound in solvent is 0.1-0.6 mol/l, that of polyester in solvent is not over 0.6 mol/l. In the course of extraction, extracting agent absorbs strontium-90 and cesium-137. Extracting agent solution is separated. After extraction, radioactivity of aqueous solution of irradiated nuclear fuel becomes tens times as low. Then uranium, plutonium, and neptunium are extracted from aqueous solution of irradiated nuclear fuel by treating it with organophosphorous extracting agent. EFFECT: reduced cost of biological shielding.
