reprocess (English, verb)
expansion: reprocess (third-person singular simple present reprocesses, present participle reprocessing, simple past and past participle reprocessed)
Senses:
glosses: To process again.
topics: engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: To process again.
To extract the fissile material (mainly uranium and plutonium) remaining in spent nuclear reactor fuel, allowing it to be recycled into fresh nuclear fuel or (for plutonium and/or uranium-233 from some specialized breeder reactors) used to build nuclear weapons; may also extend to recovering nonfissile but fertile elements remaining in spent reactor fuel (such as thorium), or precious metals produced as fission products.
Forms:
form: reprocesses
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: reprocessing
tags: participle
present
form: reprocessed
tags: participle
past
form: reprocessed
tags: past