Extraction processes and solvents for recovery of cesium, strontium, rare earth elements, technetium and actinides from liquid radioactive waste

Patent · Sun Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2000

OSTI ID:873910

Zaitsev, Boris N ^[1]; Esimantovskiy, Vyacheslav M ^[1]; Lazarev, Leonard N ^[1]; Dzekun, Evgeniy G ^[2]; Romanovskiy, Valeriy N ^[1]; Todd, Terry A ^[3]; Brewer, Ken N ^[4]; Herbst, Ronald S ^[5]; Law, Jack D ^[6]

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1. St. Petersburg, RU
2. Ozersk, RU
3. Aberdeen, ID
4. Arco, ID
5. Idaho Falls, ID
6. Pocatello, ID

Cesium and strontium are extracted from aqueous acidic radioactive waste containing rare earth elements, technetium and actinides, by contacting the waste with a composition of a complex organoboron compound and polyethylene glycol in an organofluorine diluent mixture. In a preferred embodiment the complex organoboron compound is chlorinated cobalt dicarbollide, the polyethylene glycol has the formula RC.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n OH, and the organofluorine diluent is a mixture of bis-tetrafluoropropyl ether of diethylene glycol with at least one of bis-tetrafluoropropyl ether of ethylene glycol and bis-tetrafluoropropyl formal. The rare earths, technetium and the actinides (especially uranium, plutonium and americium), are extracted from the aqueous phase using a phosphine oxide in a hydrocarbon diluent, and reextracted from the resulting organic phase into an aqueous phase by using a suitable strip reagent.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-94ID13223
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States Department (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 6270737
• OSTI ID: 873910
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/423/252/
acidic
actinides
americium
aqueous
aqueous acid
aqueous acidic
aqueous phase
bis-tetrafluoropropyl
boron compound
cesium
chlorinated
cobalt
cobalt dicarbollide
complex
composition
compound
contacting
containing
containing rare
dicarbollide
diethylene
diluent
earth
earth element
earth elements
earths
elements
embodiment
especially
ethylene
ethylene glycol
extracted
extraction
extraction process
extraction processes
formal
formula
glycol
hydrocarbon
hydrocarbon diluent
liquid
liquid radioactive
mixture
och
oh
organic
organic phase
organoboron
organofluorine
oxide
phase
phosphine
phosphine oxide
plutonium
polyethylene
polyethylene glycol
preferred
preferred embodiment
processes
radioactive
radioactive waste
rare
rare earth
rare earths
reagent
recovery
reextracted
resulting
solvents
strip
strontium
suitable
technetium
uranium
waste
waste containing