Argonne researchers outline pyroprocessing to recycle spent nuclear fuel and shrink long‑term waste

At an OutLoud public lecture at Argonne National Laboratory, Steven DelaCruz, a chemical engineer at Argonne, described pyroprocessing as a method to recycle spent nuclear fuel and recover usable uranium for next‑generation reactors. "97% of what comes out of current nuclear reactors is still mostly uranium," DelaCruz said, arguing that pyroprocessing can extract that material and convert it into new metal fuel for advanced systems.

DelaCruz summarized pyroprocessing as three integrated steps: preparing and chopping used fuel to convert oxide into metal, using an electrochemical process in molten salt to separate uranium and plutonium from non‑fuel elements, and converting the remaining non‑fuel elements into stable waste forms for long‑term storage. He said the process can substantially reduce waste volume and "significantly reduces the time necessary for long‑term storage going from 300,000 years to only 300 years."

Why it matters: panelists framed pyroprocessing as a potential pathway to make the nation's existing inventory of used fuel a valuable resource. Argonne speakers noted the United States currently has about 94 operating reactors and roughly 95,000 tons of used fuel on site; each reactor produces about 20 tons of used fuel per year. Mark Williamson, director of Argonne's Chemical and Fuel Cycle Technologies Division, added that recycling could support the administration's goal of expanding nuclear capacity, citing a target of about 400 gigawatts by 2050.

Panelists emphasized the work remains research and development: "We do research with simulated materials," DelaCruz said during a question‑and‑answer exchange, explicitly noting Argonne is not using irradiated commercial fuel in its recycling experiments. The laboratory is working with industrial partners and receives funding through federal programs, including the Department of Energy and ARPA‑E, to mature the technology toward commercialization.

Safety, monitoring and safeguards were central to the discussion. Nora Shaheen, a chemical engineer, described sensor efforts designed to provide near‑real‑time process monitoring and nuclear material accountancy to meet U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and International Atomic Energy Agency requirements. Shaheen said Argonne develops both solid‑phase and liquid‑phase sensors and couples experimental data with digital twins to assess performance in realistic flow systems.

Materials and measurement capabilities were another theme. Xuan Zhang, a principal material scientist, outlined how the Advanced Photon Source and Argonne Leadership Computing Facility enable non‑destructive, high‑resolution studies of irradiated components. Zhang highlighted the Activated Materials Laboratory (AML), opened to prepare radioactive samples for APS beamlines, and said the AML's first use of APS beamline equipment with highly activated samples was recognized by the Department of Energy as a nuclear milestone.

During audience Q&A, panelists addressed common public concerns. In response to questions about local environmental risk, speakers said legacy research materials are stored in shielded hot cells and many items are shipped offsite for disposal; staff wear dosimeters and follow DOE and state containment rules. On whether recycling eliminates the need for a geological repository, panelists said it does not: recycling can reduce the volume and radioactivity timescale of the material needing deep disposal, but a repository would still be required for the remaining high‑hazard fraction.

The lecture concluded with an invitation to further conversation at an after‑event reception and a public note that the talk will be made available on Argonne's YouTube channel.