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

A considerable focus has been paid to the production of Ac 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 Ac. A feasibility study was conducted to investigate the production of Ac through neutron induced transmutation of Ra at the Egyptian Second Research Reactor (ETRR-2) using the MCNPX code. The calculations were carried out for 1 g of Ra target exposed to the highest neutron flux in the irradiation grid surrounding the reactor core. The Ra, Ra, Ac, and Ac 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 Ac could be obtained after three days of irradiation, while 148.74 MBq could be obtained after fifteen days of continuous irradiation.