Advanced vitrification and selective partitioning strategies for sustainable high-level radioactive liquid waste management

Managing high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLW) from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing remains a significant challenge in the nuclear fuel cycle. Conventional vitrification into glass matrices for geological disposal, although technologically mature, represents a largely one-dimensional approach that permanently immobilizes radionuclides, including isotopes valuable for medical, industrial, and space applications. This review examines selective vitrification and strategic radionuclide recovery as an integrated framework for sustainable HLW management. The approach combines advanced vitrification technologies-such as Joule-heated ceramic melters, cold crucible induction melters, induction-heated metallic melters, and in-can melter-with targeted partitioning processes including UREX+, DIAMEX-SANEX, and extraction chromatography. These schemes achieve decontamination factors exceeding 10³ and enable waste loadings of 15-30 wt% in tailored glass and glass-ceramic waste forms. Selective recovery of key radionuclides offers significant reuse potential, including Sr-90 and Cs-137 for irradiation applications and Am-241 for radioisotope power systems. Importantly, removal of heat-generating nuclides before vitrification can reduce repository thermal loads by 30-40% and overall waste volumes by ∼25%. This strategy marks a shift from non-retrievable disposal to resource recovery, aligning HLW management with circular-economy principles and long-term sustainability goals.