All-chromatographic method for the recovery of Americium-241 from solutions of complex composition
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All‑chromatographic method for the recovery of Americium‑241 from solutions of complex composition O. V. Kharitonov1 · L. A. Firsova1 · E. A. Kozlitin1 Received: 18 May 2020 © Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary 2020
Abstract This paper reported creating the all-chromatographic technique for the recovery of americium radionuclides from solutions of the complex composition generated in the radiochemical industry. The technique was based entirely on the displacement complexing chromatography; neither additional precipitation nor extraction stages were necessary. The technology used the elution with DTPA and NTA-based solutions containing the citric acid additives and the sequential elution with these eluents, emphasizing the separation of americium from the heavy rare earth elements, lead, and cadmium. The complete separation of americium from lead and cadmium was a peculiar exercise; the elution order of lead and cadmium changed in the presence of the citric acid additives. The recovery and separation of americium from actual radioactive waste solutions of different origins demonstrated 96 and 99% chemical purity of the final product. Keywords Displacement complexing chromatography · Sulfocationites · Rare earth elements · Americium · Recovery · Separation
Introduction Unique nuclear properties of Americium-241 are widely used in small-scale nuclear engineering. Americium-241 has almost monochromatic α-(5.44 and 5.49 MeV) and γ(59.6 keV) radiation [1]. It is used primarily as a gammaradiation source and as a fast neutron source in the mix with beryllium and boron. Americium-241 served as a starting material for the production of Curium-242 and Plutonium-238. Again, Americium-241 could be a potential alternative to plutonium 238 in radioisotope thermoelectric generators for satellites, deep space missions, and unscrewed remote facilities [1, 2]. Isotopically pure Americium-241 radionuclide is produced in the decay of plutonium-241 (see Eq. 1). Hence, a readily available source of Americium-241 is the liquid waste of plutonium processing by PUREX technology [1, 2].
* E. A. Kozlitin [email protected] 1
Laboratory for Radioactive Elements Chromatography, Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Bld.4 31 Leninsky Prospect, Moscow, Russia 119071
241
𝛽 − 14 years 241
Pu �����������������→ �
Am
(1)
The advantage of the plutonium processing waste as a source of Americium-241 is that the minor actinides are almost entirely removed by the PUREX process [2]. The method of the displacement complexing chromatography (DCC) on cation exchange resins, or cationites [3], is well known as a powerful tool for the recovery and separation of radionuclides of transplutonium elements (TPE) and rare earth elements (REE) from solutions generated in the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) processing. [1, 5–7]. The cationites containing active sulfonic functional groups, or sulfocationites [3], possess high ion exchange capacity, good kinetic and desorption properties, and suffic
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