Extraction Behavior of the Synergistic System 2,6‐bis‐(Benzoxazolyl)‐4‐ Dodecyloxylpyridine and 2‐Bromodecanoic Acid Using Am and Eu as Radioactive Tracers

Abstract

In this study, the extraction properties of a synergistic system consisting of 2,6‐bis‐(benzoxazolyl)‐4‐dodecyloxylpyridine (BODO) and 2‐bromodecanoic acid (HA) in tert‐butyl benzene (TBB) have been investigated as a function of ionic strength by varying the nitrate ion and perchlorate ion concentrations. The influence of the hydrogen ion concentration has also been investigated. Distribution ratios between 0.03–12 and 0.003–0.8 have been found for Am(III) and Eu(III), respectively, but there were no attempts to maximize these values. It has been shown that the distribution ratios decrease with increasing amounts of ClO₄ ⁻, NO₃ ⁻, and H⁺. The mechanisms, however, by which the decrease occurs, are different. In the case of increasing perchlorate ion concentration, the decrease in extraction is linear in a log–log plot of the distribution ratio vs. the ionic strength, while in the nitrate case the complexation between nitrate and Am or Eu increases at high nitrate ion concentrations and thereby decreases the distribution ratio in a non‐linear way. The decrease in extraction could be caused by changes in activity coefficients that can be explained with specific ion interaction theory (SIT); shielding of the metal ions, and by nitrate complexation with Am and Eu as competing mechanism at high ionic strengths. The separation factor between Am and Eu reaches a maximum at ∼1 M nitrate ion concentration. Thereafter the values decrease with increasing nitrate ion concentrations.

Keywords:

• Solvent extraction
• Partitioning of actinides and lanthanides
• Separation factors
• Am(III)
• Eu(III)

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., SKB, and the European Union (PARTNEW FIKW‐CT2000‐00087).