Status of Development on $^{99}$Mo Production Technologies in JMTR

The Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) is now under refurbishment, and the operation of the new JMTR will start in FY 2011. The new JMTR has a plan to produce
⁹⁹
Mo, which is the parent nuclide of
^99m
Tc, and two
⁹⁹
Mo production technologies have been developed: one is a solid irradiation method, and the other is a solution irradiation method. In the solid irradiation method, it was found that JMTR can provide about 20% of the
⁹⁹
Mo imported into Japan. In the solution irradiation method, the fundamental characteristics of the aqueous molybdate solutions selected as candidates for the irradiation target were cleared by the gamma-ray irradiation test. Aiming at the domestic production of
⁹⁹
Mo in Japan, the development of
⁹⁹
Mo production technologies in JMTR is kept going.