Recovery of transplutonium elements from nuclear reactor waste

Patent · Tue May 24 00:00:00 EDT 1977

OSTI ID:862837

Campbell, David O ^[1]; Buxton, Samuel R ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge, TN
2. Wartburg, TN

A method of separating actinide values from nitric acid waste solutions resulting from reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuels comprises oxalate precipitation of the major portion of actinide and lanthanide values to provide a trivalent fraction suitable for subsequent actinide/lanthanide partition, exchange of actinide and lanthanide values in the supernate onto a suitable cation exchange resin to provide an intermediate-lived raffinate waste stream substantially free of actinides, and elution of the actinide values from the exchange resin. The eluate is then used to dissolve the trivalent oxalate fraction prior to actinide/lanthanide partition or may be combined with the reprocessing waste stream and recycled.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States Energy (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4025602
• OSTI ID: 862837
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/423/976/
acid
acid waste
actinide
actinide values
actinides
cation
cation exchange
combined
comprises
dissolve
elements
eluate
elution
exchange
exchange resin
fraction
free
fuels
intermediate-lived
irradiated
irradiated nuclear
lanthanide
lanthanide values
major
major portion
method
nitric
nitric acid
nuclear
nuclear fuel
nuclear fuels
nuclear reactor
oxalate
partition
portion
precipitation
prior
processing waste
provide
raffinate
reactor
reactor waste
recovery
recycled
reprocessing
reprocessing waste
resin
resulting
separating
separating actinide
solutions
solutions resulting
stream
subsequent
substantially
substantially free
suitable
supernate
transplutonium
transplutonium element
trivalent
values
waste
waste solution
waste solutions
waste stream