Strategies for reducing the waste generated from medical radioisotope production: towards a sustainable future

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dc.contributor.authorThorogood, GJen_AU
dc.contributor.authorRosenfeld, ABen_AU
dc.contributor.authorRaposio, Ren_AU
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-05T23:57:17Zen_AU
dc.date.available2023-04-05T23:57:17Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2022-07-16en_AU
dc.date.statistics2023-03-30en_AU
dc.descriptionCitation lists author Anatoly Rosenfeld as A Rozenfeld. Correct spelling is Rosenfeld.en_AU
dc.description.abstractCurrently the nuclear industry is at a crossroads due to growing concerns for environmental, social and governance (ESG) which require change in the form of lower carbon emissions for electricity generation. One often overlooked aspect of nuclear waste is the fact that current fission-based production methods of the medical radioisotope 99Mo use targets that are based on high output without taking into consideration the amount of radioactive waste produced. Ensuring continuous supply of 99Mo to the world is an extremely complex achievement involving target manufacturers, irradiators, processors, the radiopharmaceutical industry, governments, and organisations. To facilitate continuous supply producers are encouraged to overproduce and some of the challenges affecting the supply is the fact that current manufacturers use aged facilities, the transition from HEU to LEU is not as economical for producers, and the challenges of alternative technologies being developed due to economic and technical hurdles and the difficulties with transport of enriched uranium, and the current cost structure means that 99Mo is uneconomical without government subsidies. It is estimated that approximately 5 times as much radioactive waste is produced using LEU instead of HEU targets with a corresponding five times less 99Mo produced by these targets [1]. We examine the idea of using low enriched target (<20%) to reduce the amount of nuclear and chemical wastes produced by the manufacture of 99Mo via fission of uranium-based targets and how this process will not only reduce waste but ensure that the waste produced can be easily handled. [1] Hassan, M., Ryu, H. J. (2015) Radioactive waste issues related to production of fission-based 99Mo by using low enriched uranium (LEU), Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology, Volume 13, Number 2, Pages 155-161.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationThorogood, G. J., Rozenfeld, A., & Raposio, R. (2022). Strategies for reducing the waste generated from medical radioisotope production: towards a sustainable future. Paper presented to the 2022 Goldschmidt Conference, 10-15 July 2002, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA and Online. Retrieved from: https://conf.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2022/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/10712en_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceenddate16 July 2022en_AU
dc.identifier.conferencename2022 Goldschmidt Conferenceen_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceplaceHonolulu, Hawaii, USA and Onlineen_AU
dc.identifier.conferencestartdate10 July 2022en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://conf.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2022/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/10712en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/14806en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherGoldschmidten_AU
dc.subjectRadioactive wastesen_AU
dc.subjectNuclear industryen_AU
dc.subjectRadioisotopesen_AU
dc.subjectEnvironmenten_AU
dc.subjectRadioactive waste disposalen_AU
dc.subjectTechnetium 99en_AU
dc.subjectChemical wastesen_AU
dc.titleStrategies for reducing the waste generated from medical radioisotope production: towards a sustainable futureen_AU
dc.typeConference Presentationen_AU
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