STATUS OFMO-99 PRODUCTION USING LOW-ENRICHED URANIUM

Molybdenum-99 (99Mo) is the most commonly used medical isotope in the world, with an estimated usage of 20-25 million procedures performed annually. Most is now produced by irradiating highly enriched uranium (HEU) targets. There is no domestic U.S. production of 99Mo, and the continuing use of HEU can present a threat to US national security. The US depends on foreign sources, principally Canada, for its medical isotope needs. Other major producers are IRE (Belgium), Mallinckrodt (The Netherlands), and NTP (South Africa). The U. S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) Reactor Conversion Program is developing technology to allow producers to convert their operations from HEU to low enriched uranium (LEU). Argonne National Laboratory is working with two potential domestic suppliers of 99Mo (Missouri University Research Reactor—MURR and Babcock and Wilcox Technical Services Group) to develop the technology required to implement large-scale production using LEU. Argonne is also working with the International Atomic Energy Agency to develop indigenous production of 99Mo using LEU in Chile, Libya, Poland, and Romania. Additional research activities include developing means to assist conversion of processes that currently use HEU targets; one such activity is developing electrochemical means to digest irradiated LEU-foils to allow substitution of LEU-foils for HEU dispersion plates in alkalinedigestion processes. Results of these activities and implications on the future of domestic 99Mo production due to the findings of the National Academies report on “Medical Isotope Production without Highly Enriched Uranium” will be discussed in this paper.