2009/02/25 by Daniel Magnusson, Birgit Christiansen, M.R.St.J. Foreman +6 · 2 citations
Chemistry · Engineering · Environmental Science · #Radioactive element chemistry and processing #Extraction and Separation Processes #Radioactive contamination and transfer
paper · doi:10.1080/07366290802672204
openalex publication_date 2009/02/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
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.