Influence of plutonium oxidation state on the formation of molecular hydrogen, nitrous acid and nitrous oxide from alpha radiolysis of nitric acid solution
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Brandon Perrin
,
Laurent Venault
,
Emilie Broussard
Abstract
The study of the formation of radiolytic products, such as molecular hydrogen and nitrous acid, is of primary importance in the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and the storage of aqueous solutions containing radioactive materials. The radiolytic yields of molecular hydrogen, nitrous acid and nitrous oxide from alpha radiolysis of nitric acid solutions containing plutonium have been experimentally investigated. The results have shown that the yields of radiolytic products depends on the nitric acid concentration as well as the oxidation state of plutonium. However, the influence of plutonium oxidation state on radiolytic yields is less notable as the nitric acid concentration increases. Molecular hydrogen production decreases with increasing nitric acid concentration while nitrous acid and nitrous oxide productions increase. While radiolytic yields from plutonium(IV) nitric acid solutions have been previously investigated, this study provides radiolytic yields from alpha radiolysis of plutonium(III) and plutonium(VI) nitric acid solutions for molecular hydrogen, nitrous acid and nitrous oxide. These information provide insight into the role played by plutonium redox behaviour on the formation of radiolytic products.
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Author contribution: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
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Research funding: This work was supported by the CEA RCHIM/RTA programme (cross-cutting basic research programme). In this way, the authors would like to thank X. Averty and Ph. Moisy. The authors would also like to thank J. Vermeulen for supporting the lab experiments performed in Atalante facility. The authors would finally like to thank Ph. Moisy, P. Estevenon and V. Fiegel for valuable discussions.
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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Papers
- Spectroscopic investigation of the different complexation and extraction properties of diastereomeric diglycolamide ligands
- Influence of plutonium oxidation state on the formation of molecular hydrogen, nitrous acid and nitrous oxide from alpha radiolysis of nitric acid solution
- Efficient enrichment of U(VI) by two-dimensional layered transition metal carbide composite
- Application of artificial neural networks for predicting the isotopic composition of high burn-up solid plutonium sample using the 90–105 keV gamma-spectrum region
- Efficient and selective adsorption of U(VI) by succinic acid modified iron oxide adsorbent
- Electrochemical reduction of uranium and rhenium in hydrochloric acid system
- A sensitive improved method for analyzing diffusion coefficients of Cs in compacted bentonite with different lengths
- Adsorption behavior of chromium in an aqueous suspension of δ-alumina in absence and in presence of humic substances
- A novel theranostic probe [111In]In-DO3A-NHS-nimotuzumab in glioma xenograft
- Lead-free Sb-based polymer composite for γ-ray shielding purposes
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Papers
- Spectroscopic investigation of the different complexation and extraction properties of diastereomeric diglycolamide ligands
- Influence of plutonium oxidation state on the formation of molecular hydrogen, nitrous acid and nitrous oxide from alpha radiolysis of nitric acid solution
- Efficient enrichment of U(VI) by two-dimensional layered transition metal carbide composite
- Application of artificial neural networks for predicting the isotopic composition of high burn-up solid plutonium sample using the 90–105 keV gamma-spectrum region
- Efficient and selective adsorption of U(VI) by succinic acid modified iron oxide adsorbent
- Electrochemical reduction of uranium and rhenium in hydrochloric acid system
- A sensitive improved method for analyzing diffusion coefficients of Cs in compacted bentonite with different lengths
- Adsorption behavior of chromium in an aqueous suspension of δ-alumina in absence and in presence of humic substances
- A novel theranostic probe [111In]In-DO3A-NHS-nimotuzumab in glioma xenograft
- Lead-free Sb-based polymer composite for γ-ray shielding purposes
