AN ANION EXCHANGE PROCESS FOR AMERICIUM-CURIUM RECOVERY FROM PLUTONIUM PROCESS WASTE
S>An anion exchange process for the recovery of americium, curium, and rare earths contained in the waste effluent from plutonium processing was developed and tested on a laboratory scale. In the process the waste, which is a solution of americium, curium, aluminum, and fission products, in concentrated nitric acid, is concentrated by evaporation until a temperature of 140 deg C is reached. This removes excess acid, and the proper feed concentration of 2,34 M Al(NO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ is obtained by dilution. The americium, curium, and rare earths are sorbed on Dowex 1-10X resin; aluminum is washed from the column with 8 M LiNO/sub 3/; and the americium, curium, and rare earths are eluted with 0.65 M HNO/sub 3/. In laboratory demonstrations of the process made with americium tracer and macro amounts of rare earths, americium losses were undetectable, aluminum decontamination factors were 250, and rare earth concentration in the product was as great as 8.5 gm/liter. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-003391
- OSTI ID:
- 4145698
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Science and Engineering (U.S.), Journal Name: Nuclear Science and Engineering (U.S.) Vol. Vol: 17; ISSN NSENA
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
PROCESS FOR SEPARATING AMERICIUM AND CURIUM FROM RARE EARTH ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIC STUDIES STATUS AND PROBLEM STATEMENT
Related Subjects
ALUMINUM
ALUMINUM NITRATES
AMERICIUM
ANIONS
CLEANING
CURIUM
DECONTAMINATION
DOWEX
EFFICIENCY
ENRICHMENT
EVAPORATION
FISSION PRODUCTS
ION EXCHANGE
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
LEACHING
LITHIUM NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
PLUTONIUM
RARE EARTHS
REPROCESSING
RESINS
SOLUTIONS
TESTING
TRACE AMOUNTS
WASTE DISPOSAL AND PROCESSING
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE SOLUTIONS