3D printing technology is developing at an amazing speed. Nuclear materials scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory of the Department of energy (DOE) emphasize the importance of 3D printing to the nuclear industry. Scientists have studied the field of new materials for 3D printers and used them to promote the recycling of very sensitive materials.

At present, scientists can recover as much as 95% of the spent fuel from nuclear reactors, and the remaining 5% of the fuel still needs to store a lot of materials. But scientists are using 3D printing technology for more recycling, increasing the recycling of nuclear waste.

The research results outlined by scientists in "closing the nuclear fuel cycle by simplifying the separation process of sub act lanthanide elements (alsep) and additive manufacturing" explain "how to expand the production of long-lived act isotopes in the nuclear fuel cycle through the recovery and utilization of nuclear fission." In addition, they can reuse 2% of the nuclear material, resulting in exponential differences.

"Instead of storing 5 percent of information for hundreds of thousands of years, the remaining 3 percent for more than a thousand years," said Andrew Breshears, Argonne's nuclear chemist and co-author. In other words, this extra step can reduce the storage length by nearly a thousand times. Breaking down nuclear material in a fourth generation fast reactor will generate more power.

Scientists achieve their goal by separating a and cur from rare earth metals called lanthanides. With 3D printing technology, they can overcome the continuous challenge of expanding the scale of test tube work to a larger scale. In redesigning the process of separating chemicals, researchers were able to print "contactors" in 3D and link them.

"This bridges the gap between the separation of laboratory scale and industrial scale elements," Breshears said.

In short, scientists must use a 36 step separation blueprint to separate 99.9% of the elements of the series from lanthanides.

▲ close the nuclear fuel cycle by using the simplified separation process of sub act lanthanide (alsep) and additive manufacturing

"Their oxidation states are the same, making it difficult to separate them," Breshears said.

The team also found that contactors are a safety measure when using 3D printers, and that the tubes that connect the contactors prevent the transfer of di or radioactive material. They also realized how useful it is to have the flexibility provided by 3D printer materials.

"If the part does fail, it is easy to reprint and replace it. We can easily add or remove steps. " Said Peter Kozak, Argonne nuclear chemist and co-author.

"Maybe we'll find a new way to scale down the process," Breshears said. The more elements are separated, the less we can reduce their impact on the public and the environment. "

▲ close the nuclear fuel cycle by using the simplified separation process of sub act lanthanide (alsep) and additive manufacturing

3D printers are generating an innovation almost every day. This means that a large number of materials are being used and made into products that generate waste and often become waste, whether because they are part of a failed or outdated design or for other reasons.

No one wants to accumulate more garbage on the earth, so many companies are committed to recycling, from the used powder to filament, and then to composite materials. They also study the comparison between raw materials and recycled materials, so as to reduce the damage to the environment.

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