New Analytical Laboratory Completed at Oak Ridge to Support U-233 Cleanup and Medical Isotope Supply

The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Environmental Management Office (OREM) and its contractor Isotek Systems completed installation of a new analytical laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on August 25, 2026. The laboratory will support ORNL's highest-priority environmental cleanup project and accelerate delivery of critical medical isotope materials for cancer treatment research.

Isotek Systems is responsible for removing the U.S. uranium-233 inventory stored at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Uranium-233 was primarily developed in the 1950s and 1960s, initially intended for use as nuclear reactor fuel, but was later proven unsuitable as a commercial fuel source. Removing this inventory reduces long-term storage risks at the site, lowers associated security and maintenance costs, and creates conditions for subsequent demolition of storage facilities and freeing up space in the laboratory's central campus.

To date, the team has processed approximately half of the inventory. The remaining uranium-233 still requires processing to convert it into a form suitable for transport to an out-of-state disposal site. The new laboratory, located in Building 2026 where processing operations are underway, can analyze processed material samples on-site, reducing the need for off-site testing and thereby accelerating the schedule for subsequent transport and disposal.

Erik Olds, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Environmental Management Office, stated that this added capability provides workers with more data and faster results, helping the team reduce delays in material disposition decisions and processing, while also laying the groundwork for supporting other priority projects in the future.

Prior to processing and disposal of the uranium-233, Isotek Systems also extracts the rare medical isotope thorium-229 from it. Through a public-private partnership with nuclear innovation company TerraPower Isotopes, these isotopes will be used to advance next-generation cancer therapy research. TerraPower Isotopes is supplying commercial-scale isotopes to the global pharmaceutical sector, with some of the material already used in clinical trials at multiple locations.

With the new laboratory in operation, Isotek Systems can analyze extracted isotope samples on-site and deliver results to TerraPower Isotopes more quickly. Previously, samples had to be sent to other laboratories for testing, typically taking about four months; now, the team expects to obtain results in approximately two weeks.

Sarah Schaefer, president and project manager of Isotek Systems, stated that the Building 2026 analytical laboratory not only helps transfer thorium-229 to TerraPower Isotopes more quickly, but also enables the processing team to adjust processes in a timely manner to improve thorium-229 recovery rates.

Scott Claunch, president of TerraPower Isotopes, stated that the advancement of precision medicine depends on a stable supply of actinium-225, which the company recovers from the thorium-229 provided by Isotek Systems. Accelerating the processing of the parent isotope of actinium-225 will help expand production capacity and strengthen the global isotope supply chain.

According to reports, the uranium-233 stored at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the world's primary source of thorium-229. Through this project, Isotek Systems has increased the global supply of thorium-229 by more than 2,000%. The first commercial processing utilizing this material is expected to be achieved in 2028.