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Lanthanide–actinide separation by bis-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid from citric acid–nitric acid medium

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Abstract

High-level liquid waste from fast reactor fuel reprocessing stream contains significant quantities of lanthanides and trivalent minor actinides. The lanthanides and minor actinides (MA) have been separated from the fast reactor high-level liquid waste (FR-HLLW) using TRUEX solvent, which is a mixture of 0.2 M octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO)-1.2 M tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) in n-dodecane. A new stripping composition, 0.1 M HNO3 and 0.1 M citric acid (CA), has been employed for back extraction of them from the TRUEX solvent. In order to separate lanthanides from actinides present in the strip solution, the extraction behavior of 241Am(III) and (152+154)Eu(III) from CA–HNO3 medium by a solution of bis-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (HDEHP) in n-dodecane has been studied. Separation factors (SF = D Eu/D Am) has been reported as a function of various parameters such as pH, concentrations of HDEHP, diethylenetriamine-N,N,N′,N′′,N′′′-pentaaceticacid (DTPA), 1-octanol and TBP in this paper.

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Correspondence to T. G. Srinivasan.

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Suneesh, A.S., Ravi, J., Venkatesan, K.A. et al. Lanthanide–actinide separation by bis-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid from citric acid–nitric acid medium. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 285, 653–658 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0592-7

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