Method and apparatus for the production and extraction of molybdenum-99

A method of collecting molybdenum-99 from fission products produced in a nuclear reactor, the method comprising:

• providing a homogeneous solution nuclear reactor having a 20 to 100 kilowatt rating;
• using a uranyl sulfate solution as a homogeneous fissionable material in the reactor;
• running the reactor, thereby produce fission products including molybdenum-99 in the uranyl sulfate solution;
• shutting down the reactor and allowing it to cool down;
• pumping the uranyl sulfate solution from the top of the reactor through a heat exchanger means to cool the uranyl sulfate solution to below 30.degree. C.;
• passing the cooled uranyl sulfate solution to a column containing a sorbent for the selective absorption of Mo-99 and returning the non-absorbed portion of the uranyl sulfate back to the bottom of the reactor, the process continuing until substantially all of the uranyl sulfate solution has passed through the sorbent;
• thereafter passing water through the sorbent column, said water being derived from recombining the H.sub.2 and O.sub.2 gases given off during the running of the reactor to thereby maintain the concentration of the uranyl sulfate solution;
• and
• thereafter passing nitric acid through the sorbent to extract the Mo-99 from the sorbent and collecting the resulting solution in a separate container.