THE RECOVERY, PURIFICATION, AND CONCENTRATION OF PLUTONIUM BY ANION EXCHANGE IN NITRIC ACID

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1959

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4232455· OSTI ID:4232455

Ryan, J. L.; Wheelwright, E. J.

A detailed experimental study has shown absorption of plutenium(IV) from 7 M HNO/sub 3/ solutions by strongbase (quaternary amine) anion exchange resins to be a very powerful and versatile processing method for plutonium. The simple expedient of operating at 50 to 60 deg C relieves most of the objections of former anion exchange processes for plutonium in that it permits adequate processing rates and efficiency to be obtained with four per cent cross-linked resins. Commercially available strong-base anion exchange resins Dowex-1, X-4 (50 to 100 mesh), among 50 to 100 mesh resins, and Permutit SK (20 to 50 mesh), among 20 to 50 mesh resins, are markedly superior for most process applications. The anion exchange process consists of an absorption or loading step in which plutonium is absorbed out of a feed solution by the resin, washing step in which impurities are removed by washing the plutonium-laden resin with an appropriate wash solution, and an elution step in which plutonium is stripped off the resin in an appropriate aqueous solution The effects of the pertinent variables in each of these steps have been studied in some detail, yielding informatlon which can be readily extrapolated to new processing applications. (auth)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-52
• NSA Number: NSA-13-022147
• OSTI ID: 4232455
• Report Number(s): HW-55893
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Decl. with deletions June 25, 1959. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-59
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CHEMISTRY
ACIDITY
ADSORPTION
AMINES
ANIONS
DOWEX
ENRICHMENT
GRAIN SIZE
ION EXCHANGE
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
MATHEMATICS
MEASURED VALUES
NITRIC ACID
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
PERMUTIT
PLANNING
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
REACTION KINETICS
RECOVERY
REFINING
RESINS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
TEMPERATURE
WATER