Recovery of plutonium from carbon analysis residues

Technical Report · Sat Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7032031· OSTI ID:7032031

Gray, L W; McGahee, N W

A method was developed for the recovery of plutonium from residues resulting from analyses of plutonium metal for carbon. The residue from each carbon analysis contains about 0.5 g of plutonium as high-fired PuO/sub 2/. By use of 2/sup P/ factorial experimental designs, recovery methods utilizing a variety of acids and conditions were investigated. The optimum recovery procedure was determined to be leaching of the crushed crucible and contents with a hot solution of 7M HNO/sub 3/ - 0.2M HF for about four hours. Dissolution of the crucible matrix is kept to a minimum by holding the leach solution to crucible residue ratio to about 2.5 mL/g of solids. Increasing this ratio to > or = 10 does not improve the recovery of plutonium. 7 tables, 2 figs.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, S.C. (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-09-0001
• OSTI ID: 7032031
• Report Number(s): DP-1495
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400105* -- Separation Procedures
ACTINIDES
CARBON
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IMPURITIES
INORGANIC ACIDS
LEACHING
METALS
NITRIC ACID
NONMETALS
PLUTONIUM
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS