What will happen to the waste products from the deconversion process?
Deconversion permits the recovery of fluoride compounds which have commercial value when processed and purified. Depleted uranium also has some commercial value as counterweights, shielding, military penetrators, etc. In the oxide form, uranium can be disposed of as low-level radioactive waste at an approved disposal facility. Approximately 350,000 tons of anhydrous HF are used annually in the United States.1 HF is used in the production of refrigerants, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, high-octane gasoline, aluminum, plastics, electrical components, and fluorescent light bulbs. Demand for HF for fluorocarbons, broadly used as refrigerants, is increasing as an alternative to ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. Silicon tetrafluoride is used on a limited basis in microelectronics. Boron tetrafluoride is used for doping silicon chips and other purposes in the chemical industry. As the fluorine is extracted, the uranium is converted to an oxide (either U3O8 or UO2). These oxides are chemicall
