METHOD OF PROCESSING NUCLEAR WASTES Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC G21C19/44 

FIELD: nuclear physics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to hydrometallurgy, specifically to methods of processing uranium-containing fuel compositions which are unwanted fuel cells, rejects and wastes from their production with the aim of extracting uranium and its subsequent use in producing nuclear fuel. The method of processing nuclear wastes involves treating uranium-aluminium and uranium-zircon wastes with a sodium hydroxide or nitrate solution in molar ratio (3-5):1, dissolving wastes in a mixture of nitric and hydrofluoric acid, filtration of the solution and extraction of uranium from the solution using an extraction method, where molar ratio of aluminium to zircon in the jointly processed uranium-aluminium and uranium-zircon wastes should lie in the (0.4-4):1 range.

EFFECT: increased environmental friendliness, cost effectiveness and degree of extraction of uranium during joint processing of uranium-aluminium and uranium-zircon wastes.