France, transplutonium elements

Fig. 12.16 Flow sheets used for separation of transplutonium elements from irradiated Pu (a) France (Fontenay-aux-Roses) (b) United States (Oak Ridge National Laboratory). (Data from (a) Ref. 64 (b) Ref. 65.)...

The 17 papers in this volume provide authoritative, in-depth coverage of an important area of nuclear and industrial chemistry. In addition to 12 U.S. authored papers, there are papers from authors in France, Japan, Peoples Republic of China, Sweden, and West Germany. This volume thus includes contributions from most countries in the world that have significant transplutonium element production and recovery programs and facilities. 

The development of the program for the production of transplutonium elements, americium 241, americium 243 and curium 244 in France required a major effort from the technological and chemical standpoints. Pre-existing hot cells were reconditioned and others were specially built for these production operations. From the chemical standpoint, the development of extractive chromatography on the preparative scale has allowed the definition of simple processes whose performance characteristics in our operating conditions have proved to be better than those obtained by liquid-liquid extraction. This type of process, initially developed for the treatment of Pu/Al targets, is ideal for the treatment of industrial wastes for their decontamination and for the production of americium 241. 

Extraction processes (TRUEX, PUREX, Talspeak, DIAMEX, PARC, etc.) generally involve complexation of transplutonium elements by alkyl phosphines, phosphine oxides, phosphoric acids, carbamoyl phosphonates, diamides, and thiophosphinates in aqueous/organic extractions, within derivatized solid supports, or on coated particles. There are excellent reviews of the processes and significant complexes by Mathur et al. and selected chapters in The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements to be published in 2003. " Work on the separation for nuclear waste management in the United States, France, and Russia have been reviewed. " ... 

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