Conversion of UO2 to UCl3 using AlCl3 in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt in presence of lanthanide (Nd, Pr, Ce, La) oxides: a spectroscopic study

The chlorination of UO2 in presence of Nd2O3, Pr6O11, CeO2 and La2O3 in LiCl-KCl melt using AlCl3 and Al metal at 773 K is studied here. All the oxides were chlorinated and the extent of conversion of UO2, Nd2O3 and Pr6O11 was quantified through UV-Vis spectroscopy whereas for quantification of CeO2 and La2O3, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was employed. Conversion of similar to 92% for UO2 and similar to 95% for lanthanide (Nd, Pr) oxide was achieved when each of them was chlorinated independently. The results showed that the presence of even a single lanthanide oxide reduces the conversion efficiency of UO2. The conversion efficiency of UO2 in presence of all the lanthanide oxides studied here decreased by nearly 12%. The effect of lanthanide oxides on the chlorination of UO2 using AlCl3 and Al metal and their quantification by UV-Vis spectrophotometry is reported in the present study.