MaLar

Novel 2D-3D Materials for Lanthanide Recovery from Nuclear Waste

Duration: 36 Months

Start and end date: 2025 01 01 – 2027 12 31

Coordinator: HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM DRESDEN-ROSSENDORF EV (HZDR), Germany

Partners No: 5

Total Budget: € 2 324 645.00

Project type: HORIZON-EURATOM-2023-NRT-01

RO Main Contact Person: Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Marius ENACHESCU

Email: marius.enachescu@cssnt-upb.ro

Project Description

MaLaR aims to develop an innovative approach leading to technology for the selective recovery of rare-earth metals from nuclear waste. It involves exploiting materials assembled from 2D sheets into 3D structures to improve the efficiency and selectivity of the recovery process of lanthanides from spent nuclear fuel. Traditionally, lanthanide recovery has been a challenging and resource-intensive process. 3D materials based on 2D sheets and 3D porous architectures offer increased surface areas and unique chemical properties that can facilitate the separation and recovery of lanthanides from nuclear and other industrial wastes. Fundamental knowledge at the atomic and molecular levels, gained at the synchrotron by newly developed methods during the in-situ chemical sorption reaction on radionuclides combined with electronic structure calculations will be used to design new porous materials, by connecting the 2D sheets into the high surface area 3D architectures, engineered for separation of actinides and lanthanides from strongly acidic nuclear waste extracts.

Project objectives:

  • The general goal of the MaLaR project is to find new methods for selective recovery of Ln and An from nuclear waste.
  • Studies of the fundamental interactions between Ans, Lns and the 2D-3D architectures, in particular, an interplay between the local structure, 5f electronic state, ligand modifications and electron-electron interactions in time-resolved manner with the direct (in-situ) observation of changes by ground-breaking laboratory-based and synchrotron-based experimental methods and electronic structure calculations.
  • The fundamental understanding of An interactions with chemically diverse surfaces is expected to pave the way for the design of new materials tailored to the recovery of Lns from spent nuclear fuel.

The working plan:

Project Title: Novel 2D-3D Materials for Lanthanide Recovery from Nuclear Waste

WP1 – Development of cutting-edge experimental methodology
WP2 – Electronic structure calculations for HERFD/RIXS/EELS/XAS data analysis
WP3 – Design of novel 2D-3D architectures and recovery of Ln from nuclear waste
WP4 – Separation of An and Ln from industrial waste and spent nuclear fuel
WP5 – Incorporation of Ln in An oxides
WP6 – Project Management, Coordination and Dissemination