Demonstration of Mixer-Settlers Runs for Separation of Uranium and Neptunium by TBP Vis-a-Vis DHOA Under a Legacy Waste Condition

ABSTRACT

Separation of neptunium from an acidic feed containing 0.063 mol/L uranium in 3 mol/L HNO₃ was demonstrated in counter-current extraction in mixer-settlers with TBP (tri-n-butyl phosphate) and DHOA (N,N’-dihexyl octanamide) as the organic extractants. With a feed solution of 0.063 mol/L uranium (in the absence of neptunium) and at an organic to aqueous phase ratio (O/A) = 1, >99.9% uranium could be extracted into the organic phase in 6 stages with the raffinate containing <10⁻⁵ mol/L of uranium. The extraction results with TBP and DHOA were comparable. However, stripping of uranium with 0.01 mol/L HNO₃ from the loaded organic phase was better with DHOA vis-a-vis TBP phase. From the DHOA phase, loaded with 0.063 mol/L uranium, the entire metal ion could be stripped in 6 stages at an O/A = 1. However, ca. 17% uranium remained in the TBP phase even after 6 stages of stripping. With these preliminary results, the extraction of neptunium was systematically studied in mixer-settlers from feed containing uranium, and from simulated high level liquid waste. Our results of neptunium extraction in the presence of 0.021 mol/L uranium yielded excellent result. Similarly, the extraction of neptunium from simulated high level liquid waste was also demonstrated with good extraction efficiency.

KEYWORDS:

• Mixer-settlers
• solvent extraction
• separation
• nuclear fuel cycle
• uranium

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).