Method for isolating americium from liquid radioactive waste and for separating americium from rare earth elements

A method for extraction of americium from liquid radioactive wastes and separation of americium from rare-earth elements, comprising:

• (a) simultaneous extraction of americium and rare-earth elements from nitric acid radioactive solution of the radioactive wastes with neutral solution of an organic extracting agent in a polar fluorinated organic solvent selected from meta-nitrobenzotrifluoride and trifluoromethyl phenyl sulphone,
• (b) washing an organic phase obtained from step (a), where the organic phase is saturated with metals, and
• (c) selective back extraction of americium from the solution obtained in step (b), wherein the organic extracting agent used in step (a) is N,N,N′,N′-tetraalkyl-amide of diglycolic acid;
• and
• wherein a solution is used for back extraction of americium at step (c) containing:
• 5-20 g/L of a complexone selected from diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid and nitrilotriacetic acid,
• 5-60 g/L of a nitrogen containing organic acid selected from aminoacetic acid, picolinic acid, nicotinic acid, α-alanine, β-alanine, valine and norleucine, and
• 60-240 g/L of a salting-out agent being ammonium nitrate.