Method for producing an iodine radioisotopes fraction, in particular of I-131, iodine radioisotopes fraction, in particular of I-131

A method for producing an iodine radioisotopes fraction, comprising the following steps:

• (i) dissolving enriched uranium targets by contacting with base to obtain an alkaline slurry containing aluminium salts, uranium, and isotopes generated by the fission of enriched uranium and a gaseous phase of Xe-133, wherein the alkaline slurry comprises a solid phase containing uranium and an alkaline solution comprising molybdate and salts of iodine radioisotopes,
• (ii) filtering said alkaline slurry to separate the solid phase containing the uranium and the alkaline solution of molybdate and salts of iodine radioisotopes,
• (iii) adsorbing said salts of iodine radioisotopes on an alumina resin doped with silver and recovering an alkaline solution of molybdate depleted of iodine radioisotopes by passing the alkaline solution of molybdate and salts of iodine radioisotopes through said alumina resin doped with silver, and
• (iv) recovering said iodine radioisotopes fraction,
• wherein said recovering of said iodine radioisotopes fraction comprises washing of the alumina resin doped with silver with a solution of NaOH at a concentration of between 0.2 and 1.5 mol/l, between 0.3 and 1 mol/l, or about 0.5 mol/l, and eluting the iodine radioisotopes by a thiourea solution having a thiourea concentration of between 0.5 mol/l and 1.5 mol/l , between 0.8 and 1.2 mol/l, or of about 1 mol/l , collecting an eluate containing said iodine radioisotopes in a thiourea solution wherein the iodine radioisotope fraction is an iodine radioisotope fraction comprising I-131.