Fission-Produced ⁹⁹Mo Without a Nuclear Reactor

Abstract

99 Mo, the parent of the widely used medical isotope 99m Tc, is currently produced by irradiation of enriched uranium in nuclear reactors. The supply of this isotope is encumbered by the aging of these reactors and concerns about international transportation and nuclear proliferation. Methods: We report results for the production of 99 Mo from the accelerator-driven subcritical fission of an aqueous solution containing low enriched uranium. The predominately fast neutrons generated by impinging high-energy electrons onto a tantalum convertor are moderated to thermal energies to increase fission processes. The separation, recovery, and purification of 99 Mo were demonstrated using a recycled uranyl sulfate solution. Conclusion: The 99 Mo yield and purity were found to be unaffected by reuse of the previously irradiated and processed uranyl sulfate solution. Results from a 51.8-GBq 99 Mo production run are presented. Thedaught er of 99 Mo (half-life, 66 h), 99m Tc (half-life, 6 h), is used in more than 45 million diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures annually worldwide, with approximately 16.7 million procedures performed in the United States alone (1). Despite being the largest single user of 99m Tc, the United States currently imports 100% of its supply (2). Current supply chains of 99 Mo rely on aging nuclear reactors, such as the High Flux Reactor in The Netherlands and the National Research Universal reactor in Canada (1). The major U.S. supplier, located in Canada, will cease normal production in late 2016 but will maintain the ability to produce 99 Mo for another 2 y, if a severe shortage occurs (3). The High Flux and National Research Universal reactors have exceeded their initial design lifetimes of 40 y, having been in operation for 55 and 59 y, respectively. In 2009-2010, both reactors were shut down for extended periods of time, causing a severe 99 Mo shortage (4,5). The 99 Mo shortage forced clinicians to ration imaging procedures, which delayed critical diagnostic tests or resulted in older, less effective techniques that in many cases increased the radiation dose to the patient (6). The U.S. 99 Mo market is also fragile because it relies solely on international air transportation, which has been halted in the past due to inclement weather, natural phenomena, flight delays, and terrorist threats (6).The predominant global 99 Mo production route is irradiation of highly enriched uranium (HEU, $20% 235 U) solid targets in nuclear reactors fueled by uranium (2). Other potential 99 Mo production paths include (n,g) 98 Mo and (g,n) 100 Mo; however, both routes require enriched molybdenum material and produce low-specificactivity 99 Mo, which cannot be loaded directly on a commercial 99m Tc generator. The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration implements the long-standing U.S. policy to minimize and eliminate HEU in civilian applications by working to convert research reactors and medical isotope production facilities to low enriched uranium (LEU, ,20% 235 U) worldwide (7). In 2009, the Global...

AMORE Mo-99 Spike Test Results

“…The system components (gas handling system, LINAC, DU target, separation system, and BigFoot hot cell) for phase 2 of the AMORE system were described in previous reports [1][2][3][4].…”

“…We ran previous spike tests without irradiating the sulfuric acid target solution [1]. We describe phase 2 of the AMORE system in our previous reports [1][2][3][4].…”

Use of radioiodine in nuclear medicine—A brief overview

“…A lesser utilised method in the production/recovery of 131 I is via uranium fission. Uranium fuelled research reactors use highly enriched uranium which is irradiated resulting in the fission reaction 235 U(n, f) 99 Mo 37 . During this reaction, a range of isotopes are also produced including 133 xenon ( 133 Xe) and 131 I 38 .…”

AMORE Mo-99 Spike Test Results

“…The strip solution from the concentration column is then purified with the LEU Modified Cintichem process. A full description of the process can be found elsewhere [1][2][3].…”