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PARCOVAL project: Pd recovery from Spent Nuclear Fuels
Critical Raw Materials (CRM), including Platinum-Group Metals (PGM), are used in many innovative technologies (fuel cells, catalysts, etc.) [1-2]. Global demand for CRM is therefore constantly growing. European Union is highly dependent on PGM imports, making it essential to diversify the EU’s supply in order to reduce dependencies and improve the EU’s ability to rely on sustainable value chains. Launched in September 2024, the PARCOVAL project aims to recover the Pd from Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) as fission product by nuclear civil reactors – today vitrified with nuclear wastes. Based on the recognized catalytic capabilities of PGMs, the project aims to demonstrate the catalytic potential of radioactive Palladium extracted from SNF for use and commercialization. A Pd-containing electrocatalyst is evaluated for the reduction of biogenic CO2 into CO as a reactive intermediate to a larger class of high added-value chemicals such as succinic anhydride (a potentially bio-sourced monomer).
Among the PGM potentially recoverable from SNF (Pd, Ru, Rh), Palladium is the least radioactive which led Orano to develop a Pd extraction protocol. Indeed, fission Palladium is made up of stable isotopes except Pd-107 which is a pure soft beta emitter (0.035 MeV) and represents 17 wt. % of the fission Palladium. The objective of PARCOVAL project is to recover Pd pure enough to be handled in a glove box in order to minimize operational constraints and to protect operators from radioactivity. This would provide a good balance between handling constraints and the potential beneficial effects of radioactivity on the Pd catalytic performance [3].
The collaboration between industry leaders, academic experts, and research organizations underscores the project’s multifaceted approach. Orano, a leader in nuclear fuel-cycle technologies, is extracting radioactive Pd at its nuclear fuel recycling facility in La Hague, France. The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is developing Pd-containing cathodes which will be tested by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) using a zero-gap electrolyzer developed by Hungarian SME eChemicles. Biogenic carbon dioxide is supplied by Prodeval, a French biogas expert. More fundamental studies are carried out by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) on reaction mechanisms of CO2RR with radioactive Palladium and acrylic acid carbonylation into succinic anhydride, respectively.
As project coordinator, Orano proposes to present the latest advances of this four-year European-funded project, from radioactive Pd recovery to catalyst production and evaluation in a medium scale electrolyzer. Remarkably, promising results were obtained for the extraction and catalyst synthesis steps, demonstrating the potential of this approach. From a larger perspective, the use of recovered Palladium and CO2 for producing sustainable chemicals will offer a practical pathway toward a more circular economy, tackling simultaneously resource dependency and waste management.
Among the PGM potentially recoverable from SNF (Pd, Ru, Rh), Palladium is the least radioactive which led Orano to develop a Pd extraction protocol. Indeed, fission Palladium is made up of stable isotopes except Pd-107 which is a pure soft beta emitter (0.035 MeV) and represents 17 wt. % of the fission Palladium. The objective of PARCOVAL project is to recover Pd pure enough to be handled in a glove box in order to minimize operational constraints and to protect operators from radioactivity. This would provide a good balance between handling constraints and the potential beneficial effects of radioactivity on the Pd catalytic performance [3].
The collaboration between industry leaders, academic experts, and research organizations underscores the project’s multifaceted approach. Orano, a leader in nuclear fuel-cycle technologies, is extracting radioactive Pd at its nuclear fuel recycling facility in La Hague, France. The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is developing Pd-containing cathodes which will be tested by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) using a zero-gap electrolyzer developed by Hungarian SME eChemicles. Biogenic carbon dioxide is supplied by Prodeval, a French biogas expert. More fundamental studies are carried out by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) on reaction mechanisms of CO2RR with radioactive Palladium and acrylic acid carbonylation into succinic anhydride, respectively.
As project coordinator, Orano proposes to present the latest advances of this four-year European-funded project, from radioactive Pd recovery to catalyst production and evaluation in a medium scale electrolyzer. Remarkably, promising results were obtained for the extraction and catalyst synthesis steps, demonstrating the potential of this approach. From a larger perspective, the use of recovered Palladium and CO2 for producing sustainable chemicals will offer a practical pathway toward a more circular economy, tackling simultaneously resource dependency and waste management.
