Demonstration of a SANEX process in centrifugal contactors using the CyMe4-BTBP molecule on a genuine fuel solution
Journal article, 2009
Efficient recovery of minor actinides from a genuine spent fuel solution has been successfully demonstrated by the CyMe4-BTBP/DMDOHEMA extractant mixture dissolved in octanol. The continuous countercurrent process, in which actinides(III) were separated from lanthanides(III), was carried out in laboratory centrifugal contactors using an optimized flow-sheet involving a total of 16 stages. The process was divided into 9 stages for extraction from a 2 M nitric acid feed solution, 3 stages for lanthanide scrubbing, and 4 stages for actinide back-extraction. Excellent feed decontamination factors for Am (7000) and Cm (1000) were obtained and the recoveries of these elements were higher than 99.9%. More than 99.9% of the lanthanides were directed to the raffinate except Gd for which 0.32% was recovered in the product.
Minor actinides
Partitioning
CyMe4-BTBP process
Solvent extraction
SANEX
Author
Daniel Magnusson
Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Nuclear Chemistry
B. Christiansen
Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
Mark Foreman
Nuclear Chemistry
University of Reading
A. Geist
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
J. P. Glatz
Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
R. Malmbeck
Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
G. Modolo
Forschungszentrum Jülich
D. Serrano-Purroy
Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
C. Sorel
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange
0736-6299 (ISSN) 1532-2262 (eISSN)
Vol. 27 2 97-106DOI
10.1080/07366290802672204