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U.S. Department of Energy
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Novel Fission-Product Separation Based on Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids

Conference ·
OSTI ID:826209

A new solvent extraction process for separation of cesium-137 and strontium-90 from high-level wastes based on room-temperature ionic liquids has been studied. Room-temperature ionic liquids that are liquid at ambient temperatures can act as solvents for a broad spectrum of chemical species. A very unique intrinsic property of these melts is that they consist only of ions and that they can be made hydrophobic. The dual properties of these new ionic liquids make them efficient solvents for the extraction of ionic species from aqueous solutions. In this presentation, we will discuss our recent results on the solvent extraction of Na+, K+, Cs+ and Sr2+ by ionic liquids containing calix[4]arene-bis(tert-octylbenzo-crown-6)(BoBcalixC6) and dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6). We will also present the synthesis of several new DCH18C6 derivatives with one of the oxygen atoms replaced by an azo group. With these new crown ethers, we are able to recycle crown ethers after the extraction experiments for metal cations in ionic liquids by pH modulation.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC) (US)
OSTI ID:
826209
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English