China exports carbon-14 isotope

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said it has exported its carbon-14 isotope products to international clients, marking China’s first major export of reactor-produced medical isotopes and highlighting China’s growing presence in the global nuclear technology market.

Carbon-14 is widely used in Helicobacter pylori testing, new drug development, and environmental monitoring. However, only a few countries possess the technology for its large-scale production. With the support of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA), Qinshan Nuclear Power, leveraging its pressurised heavy water reactors, began independent R&D in 2019 through joint efforts with China Isotope & Radiation Corporation (CIRC) and other partners, now produces carbon-14 using reactor irradiation. The first batch of carbon-14 was officially dispatched from Qinshan in Zhejiang province in June.

Qinshan, China’s biggest NPP, comprises seven reactors. In Phase I a 300 MWe indigenously-designed pressurised water reactor (PWR) was built in 1985. Phase II comprised four CNP-600 PWRs, built with a high degree of localisation. Units 1 and 2 began operating in 2002 and 2004 and units 3 and 4 in October 2010 and April 2021. In Phase III, two 750 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors supplied by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd were commissioned in 2002 and 2003.

In June 2021, eight ministries and commissions, including CAEA, jointly issued the Medical Isotopes Medium and Long-term Development Plan (2021-2035), which required China to establish a stable and independent medical isotope supply system and accelerate the development of the medical isotopes industry. CNNC spent three years overcoming technological challenges to independently develop the Hefu No 1 isotope production technology. This laid a solid foundation for the scaled, stable, and continuous production of medical isotopes such as carbon-14, lutetium-177, and yttrium-90. At present, the annual output of carbon-14 is sufficient to fully meet domestic demand. Commercial production of lutetium-177 began in July.

Through close cooperation, Qinshan Nuclear Power and CIRC have established a full-chain synergy mechanism, from technological breakthroughs to market development, ultimately opening the door to the international market. Guided by market demand and in line with international standards, they have significantly raised the product’s specific activity, which is a core indicator, from 218 mCi/g to over 280 mCi/g (millicuries per gram, a unit of radioactive concentration), reaching an advanced global level. In addition, an innovative, cost-effective export solution has been designed, laying a solid foundation to expand future international business.

This year, Hefu No 1 has achieved a series of major breakthroughs. Yttrium-90 glass microspheres, for targeted liver cancer treatment, have been produced and tested. Additionally, lutetium-177 is now available domestically.

In a separate development, through close collaboration involving the Research Institute of Physical & Chemical Engineering of the Nuclear Industry, the Nuclear Power Institute of China, and Gaotong Isotope – all subsidiaries of CNNC, China has, for the first time, established a fully independent technological pathway for producing molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). The technology uses highly-enriched molybdenum-98 reactor irradiation, to subsequently prepare gel-type Mo-99 to produce technetium-99m generators. This enables China to independently supply technetium-99m on a large scale, ending its long-standing reliance on imported isotopes.

Technetium-99m is the decay product of molybdenum-99. It is one of the most widely used medical radioisotopes worldwide for a range of conditions.

Nuclear Power Institute of China conducted research on producing molybdenum-99 via reactor irradiation of natural molybdenum (molybdenum-98). Building on earlier success in producing kilogram-scale molybdenum-100, the Research Institute of Physical & Chemical Engineering of the Nuclear Industry obtained kilogram-scale molybdenum-98 with a natural abundance of 93. Gaotong Isotope used the molybdenum-98 as the precursor for producing molybdenum-99 through irradiation in the High Flux Engineering at the Nuclear Power Institute of China.

Through this collaboration, both productivity and specific activity have increased more than threefold, significantly reducing the complexity of downstream chemical separation and purification, and greatly enhancing the market competitiveness of gel-type mo99 – tc99m generators. This is of great significance for strengthening China’s self-reliant supply of molybdenum-99/technetium-99m isotopes.