Recovery of americium-241 from aged plutonium metal
About 5 kg of ingrown /sup 241/Am was recovered from 850 kg of aged plutonium using a process developed specifically for Savannah River Plant application. The aged plutonium metal was first dissolved in sulfamic acid. Sodium nitrite was added to oxidize the plutonium to Pu(IV) and the residual sulfamate ion was oxidized to nitrogen gas and sulfate. The plutonium and americium were separated by one cycle of solvent extraction. The recovered products were subsequently purified by cation exchange chromatography, precipitated as oxalates, and calcined to the oxides. Plutonium processng was routine. Before cation exchange purification, the aqueous americium solution from solvent extraction was concentrated and stripped of nitric acid. More than 98% of the /sup 241/Am was then recovered from the cation exchange column where it was effectively decontaminated from all major impurities except nickel and chromium. This partially purified product solution was concentrated further by evaporation and then denitrated by reaction with formic acid. Individual batches of americium oxalate were then precipitated, filtered, washed, and calcined. About 98.5% of the americium was recovered. The final product purity averaged 98% /sup 241/AmO/sub 2/; residual impurities were primarily lead and nickel.
- Research Organization:
- Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Lab.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00001
- OSTI ID:
- 6041193
- Report Number(s):
- DP-1577; ON: DE81030751; TRN: 81-016812
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Isolating /sup 241/Am from waste solutions containing Al, Ca, Fe, and Cr
Status of /sup 241/Am recovery and purification at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
Related Subjects
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
AMERICIUM 241
ION EXCHANGE CHROMATOGRAPHY
RECOVERY
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
PLUTONIUM
DISSOLUTION
AMERICIUM OXIDES
CALCINATION
CATIONS
FORMIC ACID
NITRITES
PRECIPITATION
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLVENT PROPERTIES
SULFAMIC ACID
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM COMPOUNDS
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DECOMPOSITION
ELEMENTS
EXTRACTION
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
IONS
ISOTOPES
METALS
MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PYROLYSIS
RADIOISOTOPES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TRANSPLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
400105* - Separation Procedures
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing