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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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What’s in your Dubai chocolate? Nuclear scientists test pistachios for toxins
For the uninitiated, Dubai chocolate is a candy bar filled with pistachio and tahini cream and crispy pastry recently popularized by social media influencers. While it’s easy to dismiss as a viral craze now past its peak, the nutty green confection has spiked global pistachio demand, and growers and processors are ramping up production. That means more pistachios need to be tested for aflatoxins—a byproduct of a common crop mold.
J. G. Moore, R. H. Rainey
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 11 | Number 3 | November 1961 | Pages 278-284
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE61-A26004
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Laboratory experiments have demonstrated the chemical feasibility of incorporating soluble salts of the neutron poisons boron, cadmium, samarium, and gadolinium in solutions associated with the processing of Consolidated Edison reactor fuel (stainless steel-clad 96% ThO2-4% highly enriched UO2). At room temperature at least 0.3 M boron or neutron cross section equivalent is soluble in the 6 M H2SO4 decladding solution or Thorex dissolvent (13 M HNO3-0.04 M F-0.1 M Al(NO3)3. None of the poisons were volatilized to a significant extent (i.e., <6%) during evaporation for fuel adjustment. Distribution coefficients obtained in batch extraction tests indicated low extraction of these nuclear poisons from nitrate solutions by TBP in Amsco. Single-cycle countercurrent batch extractions with the acid Thorex flowsheet, which uses 30% TBP, gave decontamination factors from uranium for boron, cadmium, and rare earths of ≧1 × 104, > 1.5 × 103, and > 104, respectively. Countercurrent batch extractions with 2.5% TBP in Amsco resulted in concentrations of boron, rare earths, and cadmium in the uranium product which were at the limits of analytical detection, i.e., 2.5, <4, and <17 ppm, respectively. Two cycles of extraction should decrease the concentration of the nuclear poisons to acceptable levels for fuel recycle.