Uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solubility in nitric acid and its crystallization selectivity in the presence of nitrate salts
Abstract
The solubility of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate was determined as a function of nitric acid concentration and temperature, and the crystallization yield was calculated. Results showed an increase in crystal formation at lower initial nitric acid concentrations upon cooling a saturated solution of U(VI) from 50 °C to 2 °C, with over 70% recovery of U(VI) mass at all nitric acid concentrations and nearly quantitative recovery starting at 4 M HNO3. A direct correlation between the change in mother liquor volume percent and U mass removal percent was observed. By reducing the cooling rate from roughly 4.0 °C/min to 0.22 °C/min, the separation factor was increased from 3.88 to 15.7 to greater than 81 for the separation of U(VI) from Sr, Cs, and Nd. At the slower cooling rate, the separation factors were measured as a function of acidity for 2.0–4.3 M HNO3, showing a decrease in selectivity with a decrease in the acidity. There was also no indication that tetravalent metal double-salt precipitation occurred with either Zr4+ or Ce4+. Here, these results indicate that a high-yield, high purity hexavalent actinide crystallization scheme may offer attractive benefits for nuclear-fuel recycle in that only a single very simple and well-understood technology ismore »
- Authors:
-
[2]
- Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Fuel Cycle Technologies (NE-5); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1407775
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1549362
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Cleaner Production
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 172; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0959-6526
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; Uranyl nitrate solubility; Actinide co-crystallization; Crystallization selectivity; Separation; Actinide
Citation Formats
Burns, Jonathan D., and Moyer, Bruce A. Uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solubility in nitric acid and its crystallization selectivity in the presence of nitrate salts. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.258.
Burns, Jonathan D., & Moyer, Bruce A. Uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solubility in nitric acid and its crystallization selectivity in the presence of nitrate salts. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.258
Burns, Jonathan D., and Moyer, Bruce A. Mon .
"Uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solubility in nitric acid and its crystallization selectivity in the presence of nitrate salts". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.258. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1407775.
@article{osti_1407775,
title = {Uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solubility in nitric acid and its crystallization selectivity in the presence of nitrate salts},
author = {Burns, Jonathan D. and Moyer, Bruce A.},
abstractNote = {The solubility of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate was determined as a function of nitric acid concentration and temperature, and the crystallization yield was calculated. Results showed an increase in crystal formation at lower initial nitric acid concentrations upon cooling a saturated solution of U(VI) from 50 °C to 2 °C, with over 70% recovery of U(VI) mass at all nitric acid concentrations and nearly quantitative recovery starting at 4 M HNO3. A direct correlation between the change in mother liquor volume percent and U mass removal percent was observed. By reducing the cooling rate from roughly 4.0 °C/min to 0.22 °C/min, the separation factor was increased from 3.88 to 15.7 to greater than 81 for the separation of U(VI) from Sr, Cs, and Nd. At the slower cooling rate, the separation factors were measured as a function of acidity for 2.0–4.3 M HNO3, showing a decrease in selectivity with a decrease in the acidity. There was also no indication that tetravalent metal double-salt precipitation occurred with either Zr4+ or Ce4+. Here, these results indicate that a high-yield, high purity hexavalent actinide crystallization scheme may offer attractive benefits for nuclear-fuel recycle in that only a single very simple and well-understood technology is employed, and the use of organic compounds and solvents is avoided.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.258},
journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},
number = C,
volume = 172,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 23 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Mon Oct 23 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Kinetics of Ion Exchange of Zr/Sn(IV) Phosphonate–Phosphate Hybrid Materials for Separation of Lanthanides from Oxidized Actinides
journal, November 2018
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Solid state characterization of oxidized actinides co-crystallized with uranyl nitrate hexahydrate
journal, January 2020
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