Production of Zr Metal by Molten Salt Electrolysis of ZrCl4

Nuclear fission offers a clean, reliable source of baseload power, but realizing its full potential requires advancements in fuel recycling. A key challenge is the safe and economical recovery of valuable materials from spent nuclear fuel. Zirconium, a crucial component of fuel rod cladding and structural parts, is a prime candidate for recycling. While the Department of Energy has developed methods to produce hafnium-free zirconium tetrachloride from spent fuel, conventional zirconium production from Zirconium tetrachloride introduces impurities. Since separating hafnium from zirconium is expensive, recycling pre-separated zirconium offers significant cost advantages. This project introduces a novel molten salt electrodeposition process to produce high-purity zirconium from Zirconium tetrachloride. Previous attempts using this method resulted in pyrophoric fine particles. This Phase I project aims to produce non-pyrophoric zirconium particles and explore the feasibility of creating coherent zirconium deposits suitable for largescale production. Beyond recycling, this technology has the potential to produce high-purity zirconium at a lower cost than current methods, regardless of the Zirconium tetrachloride source. This will contribute to a reduction in the overall cost of nuclear power generation.