Concentrations of CsCl and SrCl2 from a Simulated LiCl Salt Waste Generated by Pyroprocessing by Using Czochralski Method

Separation of CsCl and SrCl2 from LiCl was carried out by using a separation technology, the Czochralski crystallization method. It was experimentally confirmed that Cs as well as Sr could be separated simultaneously from a LiCl molten salt by the suggested crystallization process without any additive or adsorption medium. The concentrations of Cs and Sr in LiCl decreased from 1.81 and 4.18 wt% in the initial salt to minimum values of 114 and 36ppm in the grown LiCl crystal, respectively. The separation mechanism of Cs and Sr is described by the solubility difference of the solutes between the molten and solid states. It is expected that the total amount of salt waste will decrease drastically, because most of LiCl could be recovered by recycling with an electroreduction process.