skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Uranium/technetium separation for the UREX process - synthesis and characterization of solid reprocessing forms.

Journal Article · · Radiochim. Acta

In the context of the demonstration of the UREX (uranium extraction) process, a separation of uranium and technetium using an anion exchange resin was performed on a simulant solution containing 98.95 g/L of {sup 238}U and 130.2 mg/L of {sup 99}Tc. After sorption on the resin, TcO{sub 4}{sup -} was eluted with NH{sub 4}OH, the eluting stream was treated, and the technetium converted to Tc metal (yield = 52.5%). The purity of the compound was analyzed: it contains less than 23.8 {micro}g of {sup 238}U per gram of {sup 99}Tc. Tc metal was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy; EXAFS analysis clearly confirms the hexagonal structure of the metal obtained after treatment. Uranium was converted to ammonium diuranate and to U{sub 3}O{sub 8} in a yield of 88.2%, analysis indicates that the compound contains less than 0.16 {micro}g of {sup 99}Tc per gram of ammonium diuaranate.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
NE; USDOE Office of Science (SC)
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
993688
Report Number(s):
ANL/CSE/JA-63067; RAACAP; TRN: US1008111
Journal Information:
Radiochim. Acta, Vol. 96, Issue Feb. 26, 2008; ISSN 0033-8230
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH