Production of 89Sr in solution reactor

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Chemistry
• Radiopharmaceutical Production
• Reactor Engineering

Background:

• Traditional methods for producing medical strontium-89 (Sr-89) face challenges with efficiency and radioactive waste.
• Contamination with strontium-90 (Sr-90) is a significant concern in medical isotope production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a new, efficient method for producing medical Sr-89 using solution fuel reactors.
• To minimize radioactive waste and prevent Sr-90 contamination in the final Sr-89 product.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the gaseous radionuclide krypton-89 (Kr-89) in the decay chain of Sr-89.
• Employing gas probes from a 20 kW mini-reactor ('Argus') to study Kr-89 transport.
• Implementing cermet filters and chromatographic columns (DOWEX-50 x 8 or Sr-Resin) for purification.

Main Results:

• Confirmed that gaseous Kr-89 transport is the mechanism for Sr-89 delivery.
• Achieved Sr-89Cl(2) solution meeting medical application requirements with minimal radioactive impurities.
• Demonstrated significantly higher productivity compared to traditional industrial methods.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method offers a simpler, highly efficient approach to medical Sr-89 production.
• This technology effectively isolates Sr-89 and prevents Sr-90 contamination.
• The new method is substantially more productive than existing industrial techniques.