Potential production of Ac-225 at Egyptian second research reactor (ETRR-2) through neutron induced transmutation of Ra-226

• Published in: Applied radiation and isotopes 2024-03, Vol.205, p.111176-111176, Article 111176
• Main Authors: Gizawy, Mohamed A., Mohamed, Nader M.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 225Ac; 226Ra; Alpha targeted radiotherapy; MCNPX2.7.0; Neutronic calculations; Reactor produced radioisotopes
• ISSN: 0969-8043; 1872-9800
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111176

A considerable focus has been paid to the production of 225Ac due to its effective therapeutic action in alpha-targeted radiotherapy. Considering the future global clinical demand, it is necessary to increase the production capacity of 225Ac. A feasibility study was conducted to investigate the production of 225Ac through neutron induced transmutation of 226Ra at the Egyptian Second Research Reactor (ETRR-2) using the MCNPX code. The calculations were carried out for 1 g of 226Ra target exposed to the highest neutron flux in the irradiation grid surrounding the reactor core. The 227Ra, 225Ra, 227Ac, and 225Ac generated activities as a function of irradiation and decay times were estimated. Our study revealed that in this non-linear production process, 39.22 MBq of pure 225Ac could be obtained after three days of irradiation, while 148.74 MBq could be obtained after fifteen days of continuous irradiation. •The production yield of 225Ac from the irradiation of one gram 226Ra in the Egyptian Second Research Reactor (ETRR-2) was estimated using the MCNPX code.•Neutronic calculations were conducted for three different cases (three days, fifteen intermittent days, and fifteen continuous days).•The 227Ac-radioimpurity coproduced with 225Ac was also calculated.•It was estimated that 39.22, 109.89, and 148.74 MBq of highly pure 225Ac activity could be produced per gram of 226Ra in the three irradiation schemes, respectively.