Methods of fabricating metallic fuel from surplus plutonium

A method of fabricating metallic fuel from surplus plutonium, the method comprising:

• combining plutonium oxide powder consisting essentially of PuO2 with uranium oxide powder to obtain a mixed powder, the plutonium oxide powder being present at a quantity of about 20% to 50% by weight relative to a total weight of the mixed powder, the uranium oxide powder having a 235U enrichment of less than 5.0 wt %;
• electroreducing the mixed powder in a porous basket immersed in a bath of molten salt so as to convert the mixed powder to a first alloy of plutonium and uranium, the first alloy being in a form of a porous metal sponge;
• pressing the first alloy to remove a majority of the molten salt adhered to the first alloy to form a pressed alloy-salt mixture;
• and
• isolating the first alloy from a remainder of the molten salt by melting the pressed alloy-salt mixture via electromagnetic induction in a furnace and discharging the first alloy from a bottom of the furnace.