Résumé
In France, industrial reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel involves the dissolution of the irradiated fuel in concentrated nitric media in view of the recycling and separation of uranium and plutonium. Among others, the current treatment of spent fuel raises the questions of waste and effluent management. With the aim of preparing future GENIV reactors and answering to the world demand in the development of a more sustainable nuclear energy, new alternatives are nowadays investigated. Sonochemistry, which studies the influence of ultrasonic waves on chemical systems, has been showed to enhance chemical yields and accelerate reaction rates for several homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the potential of high-power ultrasound towards the control and stabilization of Pu oxidation states in aqueous nitric solution.