Solvent Extraction of Am(III), Cm(III), and Ln(III) Ions from Simulated Highly Active Raffinate Solutions by TODGA Diluted in Aliquat-336 Nitrate Ionic Liquid

Peter Zsabka, Karen Van Hecke, Lesley Adriaensen, Andreas Wilden, Giuseppe Modolo, Marc Verwerft, Koen Binnemans, Thomas Cardinaels

Research outputpeer-review

Abstract

The extraction behavior of americium(III), curium(III) (minor actinides, MA), fission products (lanthanides (Ln(III)), Mo, Ru, Pd, and Rh), and corrosion products (Zr and Fe) was studied in batch solvent extraction experiments using the room-temperature ionic liquid (IL) Aliquat-336 nitrate ([A336][NO3]) and a solvent composed of 0.05 M TODGA in [A336][NO3]. From acidic, dilute Ln(III) feed solutions, [A336][NO3] extracts nitric acid (D ≈ 0.5) and partially An(III) as well as Ln(III) (DAm = 0.02–0.1, DEu, and DCm = 0.01–0.04). The influence of the acid concentrations and kinetics on extraction and back-extraction of Ln(III) and An(III) by 0.05 M TODGA in [A336][NO3] was investigated using radiotracer-spiked dilute Ln(III) feed solutions. With the solvent composed of 0.05 M TODGA in [A336][NO3], DAn and DLn increase as a function of aqueous feed acidity. In the case of a spiked, simulated highly active raffinate (HAR) feed solution, [A336][NO3] extracts La(III) (DLa = 1.36), Ru (DRu = 1.64), and Pd (DPd = 38), while the distribution ratios of other Ln(III) and An(III) were lower than unity. The solvent composed of 0.05 M TODGA in [A336][NO3] co-extracted from HAR Zr(IV) (DZr> 300), Pd (DPd = 206), and Ln(III) (DLn> 1, except for Nd(III)), but An(III) were retained in the aqueous phase. The interference caused by the co-extraction of several fission (Zr, Pd, Ru, and Mo) and corrosion (Zr) products, which are present in the HAR at relatively high concentrations, was suppressed usingmasking agents (oxalic acid and trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N’,N’- tetraacetic acid, CDTA). In the case of the actual HAR solution, the kinetics were found to be faster compared with the extraction from dilute Ln(III) feed solutions, possibly due to the different aqueous speciation of the Ln(III) and An(III).
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)519-541
Number of pages24
JournalSolvent extraction and ion exchange
Volume36
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 4 Feb 2019

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