SEPARATION OF PLUTONIUM FROM URANIUM BY PARTITION BETWEEN AN ORGANIC SOLVENT AND A STATIONARY WATER PHASE ADSORBED ON SILICA GEL
A chromatographic method for the separation of plutonium from uranium was developed. A certain decontamination from extractable fission products is also obtained. Non-extractable fission products are separated in a primary extraction step which is carried out countercurrently in an extraction column. The conditions are adjusted so as to reach as quantitative an extraction of uranium and plutonium as possible and to give the highest possible decontamination of these elements from the fission products. At the same time the acidity of the organic product stream must not exceed a predetermined limit. The organic product stream is then passed downwards through a silica gel column, in which the silica gel has been packed in water or dilute nltric acid and the free water removed using pure organic solvent. Because of different partition coefficients, the uranium leaves the column quickly while the plutonium is practically fixed in the stationary water phase of the column. After a certain volume of primary organic solution has passed the column, the uranium left in the column is eluted with pure solvent, to which somc nitric acid may be added. The plutonium is then eluted separately, either with a more acid portion of the organic solvent, or with nitric acid in water. The BETA decontamination is better if the elution is carried out with organic solvent. It is possible to increase the capacity in each run considerably by loading the stationary water phase with a reducing agent to reduce the plutonium to non-extractable Pu(III) and thus fix it more effectively in the water phase. In this case, however, the plutonium can be eluted only with nitric acid in water. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- AB Atomenergi, Stockholm
- NSA Number:
- NSA-13-006504
- OSTI ID:
- 4285796
- Report Number(s):
- A/CONF.15/P/144
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-59
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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