Separation and recovery of plutonium from oxalate supernatant using CMPO

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/07366299408918235· OSTI ID:7197726

Mathur, J N; Murali, M S; Rizvi, G H; Iyer, R H; Michael, K M; Kapoor, S C; Dhumwad, R K; Badheka, L P; Banerji, A ^[1]

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1. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay (India)

A simple and efficient procedure has been developed to quantitatively recover Pu from oxalate supernatant using a mixture of octyl (phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO) and TBP in dodecane. Pu(IV) in the range of 6.9 to 34.6 mg/l was quantitatively extracted into 0.2M CMPO + 1.2 M TBP in dodecane from an aqueous solution containing 3.0 M HNO[sub 3] and 0.1 M H[sub 2]C[sub 2]O[sub 4]. At such low concentrations of Pu, the distribution ratio (D) did not change but the increase in oxalic acid concentration drastically reduced these values. The variation in HNO[sub 3] concentration at a fixed concentration of 0.2 M CMPO + U 1.2 M TBP has shown a dramatic increase in the D values, being 0.3 at 1.0 M and >10[sup 4] at 7.5 M. The extraction was almost quantitative even at the aqueous-to-organic ratio of 10:1. Plutonium could be quantitatively recovered by (i) stripping with 0.5 M acetic acid and (ii) coprecipitating it directly from the organic phase with 0.3 M oxalic acid + 0.3 M calcium nitrate + sodium nitrite. [approximately] 92% of the Pu was found in the precipitate and [approximately] 7% in the supernant. Using this procedure, Pu in a concentrated form ([approximately] 50 times) could be recovered from the oxalate supernatant solutions without recourse to the destruction of oxalate ion. 19 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 7197726
• Journal Information: Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange; (United States), Journal Name: Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange; (United States) Vol. 12:4; ISSN 0736-6299; ISSN SEIEDB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
ACETIC ACID
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKANES
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM NITRATES
CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CMPO
COMPILED DATA
DATA
DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS
DISPERSIONS
DODECANE
ESTERS
EXTRACTION
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
IONS
MIXTURES
MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
OXALATES
OXALIC ACID
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHINE OXIDES
PHOSPHINES
PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTERS
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM IONS
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SODIUM NITRATES
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SPECTROSCOPY
TBP