Plutonium extraction

The plutonium extracted by the Purex process usually has been in the form of a concentrated nitrate solution or symp, which must be converted to anhydrous PuF [13842-83-6] or PuF, which are charge materials for metal production. The nitrate solution is sufficientiy pure for the processing to be conducted in gloveboxes without P- or y-shielding (130). The Pu is first precipitated as plutonium(IV) peroxide [12412-68-9], plutonium(Ill) oxalate [56609-10-0], plutonium(IV) oxalate [13278-81-4], or plutonium(Ill) fluoride. These precipitates are converted to anhydrous PuF or PuF. The precipitation process used depends on numerous factors, eg, derived purity of product, safety considerations, ease of recovering wastes, and required process equipment. The peroxide precipitation yields the purest product and generally is the preferred route (131). The peroxide precipitate is converted to PuF by HF—O2 gas or to PuF by HF—H2 gas (31,132). 

Hydrazine, bis(allylthiocarbamido)-in gravimetry, 1, 534 liquid-liquid extraction, 1,546 Hydrazines, 2, 101 macrocyclic synthesis, 2,904 metal complexes, 2, 30 in plutonium extraction, 6, 948 Hydrazoic acid... 

The successful operation of the reactor and plutonium extraction plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee led to the availability of first milligram, and then gram, amounts of plutonium starting early in 1944, The availability of milligram amounts of plutonium led to the immediate discovery of the III oxidation state. 

Plutonium Extraction vs MgC12 Concentration in the NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 Salt System. 

As temperatures are decreased from 25°C, cesium is removed more efficiently, but the removal efficiency of plutonium is decreased. Plutonium extraction efficiency is also affected by differences in process pH. 

Burger, L.L. 1958. Uranium and plutonium extraction by organophosphorus compounds. Journal of Physical Chemistry 62(5) 590-598. 

Uranium was useless as long as the nuclear fuel energy cycle was not closed via uranium mining, uranium chemistry, uranium enrichment technologies, fuel rod production, nuclear reactors, to final storage or plutonium extraction of spent fuel rods. 

An initial experiment involving the treatment of small irradiated Pu/Al targets for the production of americium 243 and curium 244 was carried out in France in 1968 (2). The chemical process was based essentially on the use of a system comparable to the Talspeak system. After plutonium extraction by a 0.08 M trilaurylammonium nitrate solution in dodecane containing 3 vol % 2-octanol, the actinides (americium, curium) were coextracted with a fraction of the lanthanides by a 0.25 M HDEHP -dodecane solvent from an aqueous solution previously neutralized by A1(N0 ) x(0H)x and adjusted to 0.04 M DTPA. The actinides were selectively stripped by placing the organic phase in contact with an aqueous solution of the composition 3 M LiN0 -0.05 M DTPA. While this experiment achieved the recovery of 150 mg of americium 243 and 15 mg of curium 244 with good yields, the process presented a drawback due to the slow extraction of Al(III) which saturates the HDEHP. This process was therefore abandoned. 

Plutonium extraction requires a prior adjustment to the (IV) oxidation state which can be accomplished by HpC. Pu(IV) can be stripped from the columns packed with tJhe mixture TOAHNO /SiOp by a solution of the composition 0.75 M HpSOj. -0.2 M WO /... 

Solvent extraction [tributyl phosphate (TBP)] operations to recover plutonium from unirradiated scrap have been performed at the Hanford Site since 1955. The aqueous raffinate (CAW stream) from the TBP plutonium extraction process contains, typically, <10 mg/L plutonium and 2-10 mg/L 2 1Am. This latter isotope is present in the plutonium scrap as the result of beta decay of Pu (t]/2 = 14.4 y) tri valent americium does not accompany plutonium from the HNO3-HF feed solution into the TBP solvent. 

Plutonium Extraction vs MgCl2 Concentration in the NaC1-KCl-MgCl2 Salt System. 

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