Actinide separations on bioassay materials for alpha-particle spectrometry
- Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
A procedure has been developed for actinide bioassay which has high yields, good resolution, and substantially reduces waste management and disposal costs because it does not generate a mixed waste. In it, the fecal ash or urine if fumed in sulfuric acid, dissolved in dilute hydrochloric acid, and an actinide element pair, either uranium-plutonium or plutonium-americium, are coprecipitated on barium sulfate. When the elements of interest are uranium and plutonium, the barium sulfate is dissolved in perchloric acid which separates this pair from all other elements. The isolated elements are separated from one another and coprecipitated on neodymium fluoride, filtered, and counted by alpha-particle spectrometry. When the element pair of interest is plutonium-americium, the barium sulfate is dissolved as before, but in the presence of an excess of barium. The perchloric acid is diluted to precipitate barium sulfate, leaving plutonium, americium, thorium, and excess barium in the supernate. Plutonium, americium, and thorium are coprecipitated on ferrous hydroxide to separate them from excess barium and any calcium from the sample. Plutonium is separated from americium and thorium; americium is separated from thorium by selective oxidation and coprecipitation on neodymium fluoride. The elements are filtered and determined by alpha-particle spectrometry. Recoveries range from 85 to 95%. The resolution for full width at half maximum (FWHM) is from 40-70 kiloelectron volts (keV). Decontamination factors range between 10{sup 3} and 10{sup 4}. This procedure requires 18-24 hours to process six samples.
- OSTI ID:
- 401763
- Journal Information:
- Radioactivity and Radiochemistry, Journal Name: Radioactivity and Radiochemistry Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 6; ISSN RARAE6; ISSN 1045-845X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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