Development of Solvent Extraction Approach to Recycle Enriched Molybdenum Material

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1281147· OSTI ID:1281147

Tkac, Peter ^[1]; Brown, M. Alex ^[1]; Sen, Sujat ^[2]; Bowers, Delbert L. ^[1]; Wardle, Kent ^[1]; Copple, Jacqueline M. ^[1]; Pupek, Krzysztof Z. ^[1]; Dzwiniel, Trevor L. ^[2]; Pereira, Candido ^[1]; Krumdick, Gregory K. ^[2]; Vandegrift, George F. ^[1]

---

1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division
2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Energy Systems Division

Argonne National Laboratory, in cooperation with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NorthStar Medical Technologies, LLC, is developing a recycling process for a solution containing valuable Mo-100 or Mo-98 enriched material. Previously, Argonne had developed a recycle process using a precipitation technique. However, this process is labor intensive and can lead to production of large volumes of highly corrosive waste. This report discusses an alternative process to recover enriched Mo in the form of ammonium heptamolybdate by using solvent extraction. Small-scale experiments determined the optimal conditions for effective extraction of high Mo concentrations. Methods were developed for removal of ammonium chloride from the molybdenum product of the solvent extraction process. In large-scale experiments, very good purification from potassium and other elements was observed with very high recovery yields (~98%).

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1281147
• Report Number(s): ANL/NE-16/8; 129160
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE