Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Design of a Fission 99 Mo Recovery Process and Implications toward Mo Adsorption Mechanism on Titania and Alumina Sorbents

Journal Article · · Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
Molybdenum-99 is a parent of the most widely used medical isotope technetium-99m. Proliferation concerns have prompted development of alternative Mo production methods utilizing low enriched uranium. Alumina and titania sorbents were evaluated for separation of Mo from concentrated uranyl nitrate solutions. System, mass transfer, and isotherm parameters were determined to enable design of Mo separation processes under a wide range of conditions. A model-based approach was utilized to design representative commercial-scale column processes. The designs and parameters were verified with bench-scale experiments. The results are essential for design of Mo separation processes from irradiated uranium solutions, selection of support material and process optimization. Mo uptake studies show that adsorption decreases with increasing concentration of uranyl nitrate; howeveL, examination of Mo adsorption as a function of nitrate ion concentration shows no dependency, indicating that uranium competes with Mo for adsorption sites. These results are consistent with reports indicating that Mo forms inner-sphere complexes with titania and alumina surface groups.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (NA-20)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1372393
Journal Information:
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Journal Name: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 56; ISSN 0888-5885
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Developing a Recovery Column for Mo-99 from Highly Concentrated Uranyl Nitrate Solutions
Technical Report · Tue Sep 24 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · OSTI ID:1570300

Controlling Pu behavior on Titania: Implications for LEU Fission-Based Mo-99 Production
Journal Article · Fri Sep 29 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research · OSTI ID:1417840

A Solution-Based Approach for Mo-99 Production: Considerations for Nitrate versus Sulfate Media
Journal Article · Mon Dec 31 19:00:00 EST 2012 · Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations · OSTI ID:1198172