Method for the recovery of actinide elements from nuclear reactor waste. [Patent application]
A process is disclosed for partitioning and recovering actinide values from acidic waste solutions resulting from reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuels by adding hydroxylammonium nitrate and hydrazine to the waste solution to adjust the valence of the neptunium and plutonium values in the solution to the +4 oxidation state, thus forming a feed solution and contacting the feed solution with an extractant of dihexoxyethyl phosphoric acid in an organic diluent whereby the actinide values, most of the rare earth values and some fission product values are taken up by the extractant. Separation is achieved by contacting the loaded extractant with two aqueous strip solutions, a nitric acid solution to selectively strip the americium, curium, and rare earth values and an oxalate solution of tetramethylammonium hydrogen oxalate and oxalic acid or trimethylammonium hydrogen oxalate to selectively strip the neptunium, plutonium and fission product values. Uranium values remain in the extractant and may be recovered using a phosphoric acid strip. The neptunium and plutonium values are recovered from the oxalate by adding sufficient nitric acid to destroy the complexing ability of the oxalate, forming a second feed, and contacting the second feed with a second extractant of tricaprylmethylammonium nitrate in an inert diluent whereby the neptunium and plutonium values are selectively extracted. The values are recovered from the extractant using formic acid.
- Assignee:
- Dept. of Energy
- Patent Number(s):
- None
- OSTI ID:
- 6418243
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
AMMONIUM NITRATES
CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
FUELS
HYDRAZINE
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXYLATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPES
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
METALS
NEPTUNIUM
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXALATES
OXALIC ACID
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORIC ACID
PLUTONIUM
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RARE EARTHS
REACTOR MATERIALS
RECOVERY
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPENT FUELS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES