Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A process for the treatment of a solvent which has been used in nuclear fuel reprocessing or uranium ore purification and which comprises an organophosphate ester and a hydrocarbon diluent, the process comprising distilling the solvent under reduced pressure to remove substantially all the diluent and a major proportion of the organophosphate ester and wherein a residual material including organophosphate is also formed, converting organophosphate present in the residual material to inorganic phosphate and encapsulating the inorganic phosphate. 2. A process according to  claim 1  in which the distillate, containing substantially all of the diluent and a major proportion of the organophosphate ester, is returned to the reprocessing or purification process. claim 1 3. A process according to  claim 1  in which said encapsulating step is vitrification. claim 1 4. A process according to  claim 1  in which the organophosphate is converted to inorganic phosphate by a temperature process or a chemical oxidation process, wherein the temperature process comprises mixing the residual material with a metal salt hydroxide in aqueous solution to form a mixture and then treating the mixture to produce a metal phosphate ash. claim 1 5. A process according to  claim 4  in which the chemical oxidation process includes using a metallic catalyst and hydrogen peroxide. claim 4 6. A process according to  claim 5  in which the chemical oxidation process is carried out at a temperature between ambient and boiling point in an aqueous medium. claim 5 7. A process according to  claim 1  in which the hydrocarbon diluent is odourless kerosene or a dodecane. claim 1