Startseite A comparison of the extraction behaviour of tris(2-methylbutyl) phosphate and tri-n-alkyl phosphates for the separation of metal ions for U–Zr and U–Pu–Zr systems by cross-current mode
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A comparison of the extraction behaviour of tris(2-methylbutyl) phosphate and tri-n-alkyl phosphates for the separation of metal ions for U–Zr and U–Pu–Zr systems by cross-current mode

  • Subashree Kirubananthan , Suresh Ammath EMAIL logo und Sivaraman Nagarajan
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 19. September 2022
Radiochimica Acta
Aus der Zeitschrift Radiochimica Acta Band 110 Heft 12

Abstract

Even though, pyroprocessing is considered as a suitable technique for metal fuel processing, attempts are being made in our laboratory to develop a solvent extraction based process as an interim method. Since, the metallic fuels contain considerable amount of Pu(IV) and Zr(IV), the use of conventional extractant tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) for reprocessing may pose problems due to third phase formation. In the exploration for the identification of an alternate extractant in the organophosphate family, tris(2-methylbutyl) phosphate (T2MBP), a branched isomer of tri-n-amyl phosphate (TAP) was found to be a potential extractant for nuclear fuel reprocessing. In this context, batch wise extraction and stripping studies with a feed solution containing U(VI) and 6 wt% Zr(IV) were carried out with unirradiated and irradiated 1.1 M solution of T2MBP in n-dodecane (n-DD) and the results were compared with corresponding solutions of TBP and TAP in n-DD. Among all these systems under identical conditions, third phase formation was observed only in the case of irradiated TBP system which makes U–Zr fuel reprocessing difficult using TBP as the extractant. Furthermore, studies have also been carried out with U–Pu–Zr feed solution to understand the extraction and stripping behaviour of these extractants. The stage wise and cumulative percentage of extraction and stripping for each metal ion of these systems were evaluated. Overall, these batch studies indicated that, T2MBP system has comparable extraction and stripping behaviour with U–Zr and U–Pu–Zr feed solutions and T2MBP exhibits better separation factor than TBP.

Keywords: extraction; T2MBP; TAP; TBP; U–Pu–Zr; U–Zr
Corresponding author: Suresh Ammath, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102, India, E-mail:

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2022-05-24
Accepted: 2022-08-30
Published Online: 2022-09-19
Published in Print: 2022-12-16

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Papers
  3. Experimental cross section of the 164Dy(n,γ)165Dy reaction at the neutron energy of 0.0372 eV using Neutron Diffraction Facility
  4. Is octavalent plutonium really formed during oxidation in alkaline aqueous solutions?
  5. A comparison of the extraction behaviour of tris(2-methylbutyl) phosphate and tri-n-alkyl phosphates for the separation of metal ions for U–Zr and U–Pu–Zr systems by cross-current mode
  6. Investigating diffusion mechanism for HTO and Se(IV)/Se(VI) in compacted Tamusu clay rock with different column lengths
  7. Preparation and radiolabeling of Iranian Androctonus crassicauda scorpion venom with technetium-99m as a new agent for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic purposes
  8. Fabrication and application of nanosized stannic oxide for sorption of some hazardous metal ions from aqueous solutions
https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2022-0050
Schlagwörter für diesen Artikel
extraction; T2MBP; TAP; TBP; U–Pu–Zr; U–Zr

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Papers
  3. Experimental cross section of the 164Dy(n,γ)165Dy reaction at the neutron energy of 0.0372 eV using Neutron Diffraction Facility
  4. Is octavalent plutonium really formed during oxidation in alkaline aqueous solutions?
  5. A comparison of the extraction behaviour of tris(2-methylbutyl) phosphate and tri-n-alkyl phosphates for the separation of metal ions for U–Zr and U–Pu–Zr systems by cross-current mode
  6. Investigating diffusion mechanism for HTO and Se(IV)/Se(VI) in compacted Tamusu clay rock with different column lengths
  7. Preparation and radiolabeling of Iranian Androctonus crassicauda scorpion venom with technetium-99m as a new agent for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic purposes
  8. Fabrication and application of nanosized stannic oxide for sorption of some hazardous metal ions from aqueous solutions
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