Chemical research studies for the recovery of americium at Rocky Flats

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5780487

Hagan, P G

Americium is recovered from plutonium and pyrochemical waste salts at Rocky Flats by an aqueous chemical process. The process is a five-step operation: dissolution of the chloride salt, conversion from the chloride to the nitrate system by cation exchange, separation of plutonium by anion exchange, evaporation of the anion column effluent, and precipitation of americium as the oxalate. Recent research is discussed that shows the process can be improved through procedural modifications; for example: (1) by diluting the feed stream the selective sorption of the actinides by cation resin is increased, (2) by rinsing the cation resin with 1.5N nitric acid the carryover of impurities with the actinides is reduced, and (3) by lowering the molarity of the oxalate ion concentration and adding a small amount of chloride ion, during the oxalate precipitation step, the coprecipitation of lead impurity is reduced.

• Research Organization: Atomics International Div., Golden, CO (USA). Rocky Flats Plant
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-04-3533
• OSTI ID: 5780487
• Report Number(s): RFP-3036; CONF-800303-3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ACTINIDES
AMERICIUM
CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS
ELEMENTS
ION EXCHANGE
LEAD
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OXALATES
PLUTONIUM
PRECIPITATION
PURIFICATION
RECOVERY
ROCKY FLATS PLANT
SALTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS