Electrochemical extraction of strontium from molten salts using reactive zinc and aluminum electrodes

• Reactive Zn and Al electrodes enable electrochemical extraction of Sr from molten salts despite Sr's more negative reduction potential than Li. • Sr extraction products are Zn13Sr and Al4Sr intermetallic compounds, with no Li codeposition, confirmed by DFT calculations. • Zn electrode achieves ~54% coulombic efficiency for Sr extraction, with depolarization values of 0.864 V (Zn) and 0.485 V (Al), indicating stronger Zn–Sr interaction. • This method facilitates purification and reuse of molten salts in pyroprocessing, reducing nuclear waste volume.