12th International Conference on Isotopes - 12ICI

FROM ACCELERATOR WASTE TO RESEARCH: ISOLATION AND USE OF LONG-LIVED RADIONUCLIDES AT THE PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUTE

Feb 18, 2026, 2:49 PM

20m

Plenaria: Africa Room (Grand Hotel Mediterraneo)

Oral presentation 1. Isotopes Production and Devices 1. Isotopes Production and Devices - Wed_S2_A

Speaker

Zeynep Talip (-)

Summary

Introduction
The dedicated production of rare long-lived radionuclides is both costly and time-intensive. In some cases, it would require extremely long irradiation periods dedicated exclusively to this purpose, making the production of sufficient quantities nearly impossible. Nevertheless, several of these radionuclides are of great importance for a wide range of research fields, including astrophysics, nuclear medicine, geophysics, fundamental nuclear physics, and nuclear waste management.

Description of the Work or Project
The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) operates the Spallation Neutron Source (SINQ), powered by one of the world’s most intense high-energy proton accelerators, the High-Intensity Proton Accelerator HIPA (590 MeV, up to 2.4 mA). Within the framework of the ERAWAST initiative (Exotic Radionuclides from Accelerator Waste for Science and Technology)1, a comprehensive program has been established over the past two decades to recover rare long-lived radionuclides from different PSI accelerator waste matrices.
In many cases, nuclear data for these radionuclides, such as half-lives, branching ratios, and cross sections, remain incomplete, uncertain, or inconsistent. The primary challenge was the scarcity of available sample material. To address this, sources of several radionuclides (7/10Be, 32Si, 44Ti, 53Mn, 60Fe, 90Mo, 137La, 146Sm, 148Gd, 154Dy, 157Tb) were identified, chemical separation methods were developed, and dedicated source or target materials were prepared and characterized.

Conclusions
This contribution will provide an overview of past and ongoing efforts at PSI to recover long-lived radionuclides from accelerator wastes for use in scientific purposes. These efforts enabled new half-life determinations2, cross-section measurements, and the provision of these radionuclides for experiments of broad scientific relevance. Looking ahead, exploiting accelerator by-products as an isotope resource offers a sustainable and cost-effective approach to improving nuclear data and advancing both fundamental and applied science.