Process for the recovery of strontium from acid solutions
AssigneeUnited States Department of Energy
InventorsE. Philip Horwitz, Mark L. Dietz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is a process for selectively extracting strontium and technetium values from aqueous nitric acid waste solutions containing these and other fission product values. The extractant is a macrocyclic polyether in a diluent which is insoluble in water, but which will itself dissolve a small amount of water. The process will extract strontium and technetium values from nitric acid solutions which are up to 6 molar in nitric acid.
Claims16
A process of recovering strontium and/or technetium values from an aqueous nitric acid feed solution containing nitric acid and fission product values comprising:
- contacting the aqueous solution containing of about 1-6 molar nitric acid and technetium and strontium values with an extractant consisting of a crown ether in a diluent, the diluent being an organic compound which is insoluble in water, is capable of dissolving at least 0.5M molar water, and in which the ether is soluble,
- maintaining the contact for a period of time sufficient for the strontium and technetium values in the feed solution to be taken up by the extractant, and
- separating the extractant from the feed solution, thereby separating the strontium and technetium values from the aqueous nitric acid solution.
A process for recovering strontium and/or technetium values from an aqueous feed solution containing nitric acid together with other fission product values comprising:
- contacting the nitric acid solution of about 1 to 6 molar nitric acid with an extractant consisting of from 0.1 to 0.5M of a crown ether in a diluent, the crown ether being selected from the group consisting of dicyclohexano-18-crown-6, bis-methylcyclohexano-18-crown-6, and 4,4'(5')[(t-butyl)cyclohexano]-18-crown-6, and the diluent being selected from the group consisting of 1-octanol, 1-heptanol, 1-decanol, octanoic acid, heptanoic acid, hexanoic acid, 2-hexanone, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, butyl acetate and amyl acetate,
- maintaining this contact for a period of time sufficient for the strontium and technetium values in the feed solution to be taken up by the extractant, and
- separating the extractant from the feed solution, thereby separating the strontium and technetium values from the nitric acid feed solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.