Method for extracting lanthanides and actinides from acid solutions
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsE. Philip Horwitz, Dale G. Kalina, Louis Kaplan, George W. Mason
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Abstract
A process for the recovery of actinide and lanthanide values from aqueous acidic solutions with an organic extractant having the formula: ##STR1## where .phi. is phenyl, R.sup.1 is a straight or branched alkyl or alkoxyalkyl containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms and R.sup.2 is an alkyl containing from 3 to 6 carbon atoms. The process is suitable for the separation of actinide and lanthanide values from fission product values found together in high level nuclear reprocessing waste solutions.
Claims15
A process for the recovery of multivalent lanthanide and actinide values from an aqueous acid solution containing these and other values comprising:
- adjusting the molarity of the acid in the aqueous solution to between 0.1 and 12.0M to form a feed solution;
- contacting the feed solution with an extraction solution consisting of an organic extractant in an inert water-immiscible organic diluent, the extractant having the formula:
- ##STR4## where .phi. is phenyl, R' is a straight or branched alkyl containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms and R.sup.2 is an alkyl containing from 3 to 6 carbon atoms, whereby the multivalent lanthanide and actinide values are selectively extracted from the feed solution, thereby loading the extraction solution,
- separating the loaded extraction solution from the feed solution, and
- stripping the lanthanide and actinide values from the extraction solution, thereby recovering the lanthanide and actinide values.
A process for recovering multivalent lanthanide and actinide values from a nitric acid nuclear fuel waste reprocessing solution containing these values together with fission product and other metal values comprising:
- adjusting the molarity of the acid in the waste solution to between 0.5 and 5.0M and adding from 0.05 to 0.2M oxalic acid to the waste solution to form a feed solution:
- contacting the feed solution with an extraction solution of 0.1 to 0.5M of an organic extractant having the formula:
- ##STR5## where .phi. is phenyl, R' is a straight or branched alkyl containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms and R.sup.2 is an alkyl containing from 3 to 6 carbon atoms in an inert water-immiscible aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbon diluent, whereby the multivalent lanthanide and actinide values are selectively extracted from the feed solution thereby loading the extraction solution,
- separating the loaded extraction solution from the feed solution, and
- contacting the loaded feed solution with a 0.05 to 0.1M nitric acid solution to strip the lanthanide and actinide values from the extraction solution, thereby recovering the lanthanide and actinide values.
A compound having the structural formula:
- R1 ? ##STR6## where .phi. is phenyl, R.sup.1 is a straight or branched alkyl containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms and R.sup.2 is an alkyl containing from 3 to 6 carbon atoms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.