PROCESS TO REMOVE RARE EARTHS FROM SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL

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The present invention relates to a process for removing rare earth elements (RE) from spent nuclear fuel. The spent nuclear fuel is subjected to an oxidation step at a temperature of between about 200° to about 800 °C and a heating step at a temperature of between about 1000 °C to about 1600 °C. The process results in the segregation of the spent fuel into a rare earth-rich fluorite-type phase and a rare earth-poor U3O8 phase. The RE-rich fluorite type phase is separated from the RE-poor U3O8 phase by conventional separation techniques such as sieving, air classification, sedimentation and the like.