COORDEX

As part of application-oriented EURATOM projects, alternative concepts for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste are being developed, including the recycling of minor actinides (Np, Am, Cm) to make better use of final disposal capacities. The greatest challenge lies in separating americium from curium and the (fission) lanthanides. This requires highly selective extraction ligands with soft donor atoms. Despite progress in this area, our understanding of the underlying coordination chemistry remains incomplete. However, a targeted approach to expanding this fundamental understanding receives little support within the framework of EU projects. Yet it is precisely this fundamental knowledge that is needed to optimize existing processes in a targeted manner. The goal of this project therefore to enable early-career researchers to investigate the interaction mechanisms in f-element complexes and to expand our understanding of the bonding relationships. Based on the knowledge gained, solutions can then be developed that aim for more efficient separation.