Development of methods for reprocessing and reuse of tritium breeder materials in broader approach activities

Abstract The amount of 6Li in a tritium breeder decreases as a result of it being burned during the operation of a fusion reactor; however, the used tritium breeder in the replaced blanket includes a large amount of unburned 6Li. In this study, appropriate conditions and a method for mass reprocessing and reusing were evaluated. In the case of a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solvent, most of the Li2TiO3 was soluble at room temperature, and the solubility of Li was 96.2%. Lithium was dissolved as lithium hydroxide (LiOH⋅H2O) in an H2O2 solvent. Then a preliminary test of the preparation of raw material for Li2TiO3 pebble fabrication was carried out by using the LiOH⋅H2O dissolution liquid. The dissolution liquid was heated and exposed to water vapor in another method. The recovery rate of LiOH⋅H2O was about 100%.