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Application of Extraction Chromatographic Technique in the Recovery of Antinides from Purex Waste Solutions Using CMPO

Publication Type : Report

Thematic Areas : Biotech

Publisher : Bhabha Atomic Research Centre

Source : BARC External, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Number BARC/1993/E/024, Bombay, p.22 (1993)

Keywords : actinides, adsorption, ahericium 241, distribution functions, elutriation, europium 152, europium 154, europium? zirconium, extraction chromatography, high-level radioactive wastes, impregnation, neodymium, phosrhine oxides, polystyrene, promethium 147, purex process, ruthenium, ruthenium 103, solvent extraction, tbp, technetium 99, tracer techniques, uranium 237, zirconium 95

Campus : Amritapuri

School : School of Biotechnology

Center : Biotechnology, Phytochemistry Labs

Department : biotechnology, Chemistry

Year : 1993

Abstract : Extraction chramatagraphic technique using CMPO absorbed on chromosorb-102 (CAC) has been developed as a potential alternative to the TRUEX process, where CMPO has been deployed as the extracting agent to recover minor actinides from the high active waste solution of Pure: origin. In this connection, the batch-wise uptake behaviour of U(VI), Pu(VI), Am(III), Eu(III), ZrIV), FeIII, RuIII) and TcO+ from nitric acid medium by CAC has been studied. The uptake of actinides and lanthanides are higher than those of other fission products and inert materials. The batch wise loading experiments in presence of Nd(III) / UVI) have shown that at lower concentration of these metal ions, the uptake of PU(IV), U(VI) and Am(III) are reasonably high. Studies on loading of Nd(III), UVI and PuIV on a column containing 1.7 g CAC have shown that Nd(III) (30 mg) and UVI (90 mg) could be loaded, while Pu(IV) (**• 0.6 mg) was loaded on a small column containing 100 mg CAC without any breakthrough. Further, a synthetic HAW solution and the actual Purex HAW solution were loaded on a CAC column. The effluents did not contain any alpha activity above the back ground level. The activities could subsequently be eluted with 0.04 M HN03 (Am RE), 0.01 M oxalic acid (Pu) and 0.25 M Na2CO3 solution (U(VD). The recoveries of these metal ions were found to be 99%. The eluted Am and rare earth fraction is an important source for Pm. This process is amenable for further scaling up.

Cite this Research Publication : A. Ramanujan, Banerji, A., Dhami, P. S., Gopalakrishnan, V., Rao, M. K., Mathur, J. N., Murali, M. S., Iyer, R. H., and Badheka, L. P., “Application of Extraction Chromatographic Technique in the Recovery of Antinides from Purex Waste Solutions Using CMPO”, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, BARC/1993/E/024, 1993.

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