Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

Pilot scale optimization of a chromatographic method for purification of Molybdenum-99 (cold and hot tests)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

M. Dayeni
S. Shirvani Arani
A. Bahrami Samani
S.M. Miremad
I. Dehghan

Nuclear Fuel Cycle Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, P.O.Box: 11365-8486, Tehran - Iran

https://doi.org/10.24200/nst.2023.1537
Abstract
The radionuclide Technicium-99, which is a widely used radionuclide in nuclear medicine, is produced from molybdenum-99, which is mainly produced by the fission of Uranium-235. Separation and purification of molybdenum from other fission products is considered a big challenge due to its high activity and variety of impurities. In this research, anion exchange chromatography was used for Mo-99 purification on a semi-industrial scale at 0.02mg (100mCi). The optimization of the effective parameters including the amount of resin, flow rate and volume of solutions entering the column in each step of washing and rinsing in two modes was performed by two methods; cold test (by addition of Mo- 99 as a tracer to the feed solution) and hot test (using a real sample obtained from acidic dissolution of the irradiated target containing U-235 (U3O8/Alx). The values of the optimum parameters for the cold/hot tests including the amount of resin 4g/7.5g, the eluent volume 50ml/70ml, the washing volume 60ml/84ml and the flow rates of the elution step were 5.64ml/min/ 4ml/min, respectively. The loading and washing speeds were the same for both modes. The molybdenum purity obtained in the cold test was up to 100% and up to 98.17 percent in the hot test.

Highlights

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  1. Lee S.K, Beyer G.J, Lee J.S. Development of industrial-scale fission 99Mo production process using low enriched uranium target. Nucl. Eng. Technol. 2016;48:613.

 

  1. Aliludin Z. in: Proceedings of the International Meeting on Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors. Paris, France. 1995 September;18-21.

 

  1. Vandegrift G.F. in: RERTR Meeting (Sao Paolo (Brazil). 1998 October;18-23.

 

  1. Mutalib A. in: JAERI-Conf. Japan. 2000;2000-2017.

 

  1. Kotschkov Y. Production of fission 99Mo with closed uranium cycle at the nuclear reactor WWR-Ts. Radio Khimiya. 2012;54:173.

 

  1. Sameh A, Ache H.J. Production techniques for fission molybdenum-99. Radiochim. Acta. 1987;41:65.

 

  1. Muenze R, Beyer G.J, Ross R, Wagner G, Novotny D, Franke E, Jehangir M, Pervez S, Mushtaq A. The Fission-Based 99Mo Production Process ROMOL-99 and Its Application to PINSTECH Islamabad. Sci. Technol. Nucl. 932546. 2013.

 

  1. Stang L.G. Manual of isotope production processes in use at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Brookhaven National Laboratory. (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York). 1964.

 

  1. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Non-HEU production technologies for molybdenum-99 and technetium-99m. IAEA Nuclear Energy Series. No. NF-T-5.4. IAEA, Vienna (Austria). 2013.

 

  1. Druce M. in: Coordination Meeting for TC Project INT1056. IAEA, Vienna (Austria). 2013.

 

  1. Brown L.C. Patent No. EP2580763B1. (22 Jul. 2015).

 

  1. Tabasi M, Samani B, Shirvani Arani S, Ghannadi Maragheh M, Mohammadi A. Assessment of Mo-99 radioisotope supply chain using LEU in Iran. J. Nucl. Sci. Technol. 2021;42(3):104.

 

  1. Nuclear Energy Agency. "JANIS 4.1". https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_39910/janis.

Keywords

Fission
Mo-99
Anion exchange chromatography
Tc-99m
  1. European Commission Heath and Consumers Directorate-General, Preliminary Report on Supply of Radioisotopes for Medical use and Current Development in Nuclear Medicine. SANCO/C/3/HW D, Rev. 8. Luxembourg. 2009.

 

  1. IAEA, Technetium-99m radiopharmaceuticals manufacture of kits. Technical Report Series No. 466. IAEA, Vienna. 2008.

 

  1. G.B. Saha, Fundamentals of Nuclear Pharmacy, 6th ed. (Springer Science, Business Media, New York. 2010).

 

  1. Pillai M.R, Dash A, Knapp Jr F.F. Sustained availability of 99mTc: possible paths forward. J. Nucl. Med. 2013;54:313.

 

  1. Lee S.K, Beyer G.J, Lee J.S. Development of industrial-scale fission 99Mo production process using low enriched uranium target. Nucl. Eng. Technol. 2016;48:613.

 

  1. Aliludin Z. in: Proceedings of the International Meeting on Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors. Paris, France. 1995 September;18-21.

 

  1. Vandegrift G.F. in: RERTR Meeting (Sao Paolo (Brazil). 1998 October;18-23.

 

  1. Mutalib A. in: JAERI-Conf. Japan. 2000;2000-2017.

 

  1. Kotschkov Y. Production of fission 99Mo with closed uranium cycle at the nuclear reactor WWR-Ts. Radio Khimiya. 2012;54:173.

 

  1. Sameh A, Ache H.J. Production techniques for fission molybdenum-99. Radiochim. Acta. 1987;41:65.

 

  1. Muenze R, Beyer G.J, Ross R, Wagner G, Novotny D, Franke E, Jehangir M, Pervez S, Mushtaq A. The Fission-Based 99Mo Production Process ROMOL-99 and Its Application to PINSTECH Islamabad. Sci. Technol. Nucl. 932546. 2013.

 

  1. Stang L.G. Manual of isotope production processes in use at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Brookhaven National Laboratory. (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York). 1964.

 

  1. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Non-HEU production technologies for molybdenum-99 and technetium-99m. IAEA Nuclear Energy Series. No. NF-T-5.4. IAEA, Vienna (Austria). 2013.

 

  1. Druce M. in: Coordination Meeting for TC Project INT1056. IAEA, Vienna (Austria). 2013.

 

  1. Brown L.C. Patent No. EP2580763B1. (22 Jul. 2015).

 

  1. Tabasi M, Samani B, Shirvani Arani S, Ghannadi Maragheh M, Mohammadi A. Assessment of Mo-99 radioisotope supply chain using LEU in Iran. J. Nucl. Sci. Technol. 2021;42(3):104.

 

  1. Nuclear Energy Agency. "JANIS 4.1". https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_39910/janis.

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