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A UO2-based salt target for rapid isolation of fission products

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Abstract

We report here an initial isolation study based upon the use of small uranium oxide particles dispersed in a soluble salt matrix to evaluate the relative recovery of fission products into acidic media. We further show that the macrostructures of the uranium microparticles are largely preserved, such that the bulk target material could be retained for additional irradiations or characterizations. Through this approach, fission products can be separated from the actinide-based target using low molarities of acid without the need to dissolve the actinide itself, reducing the amount of acidic waste. Extraction yields using two molarities of HCl and HNO3 are compared.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Dr. T. Bredeweg (LANL) for provision of the sample holders, Dr. T. Hartmann (UNLV) for the p-XRD analysis, Dr. R. Sudowe (CSU), Dr. W. Kerlin (UNLV), Dr. L. Boron-Brenner (UNLV), J. Bertoia (UNLV), T. Low (UNLV), R. Springs (UNLV), and Dr. D. Lowe (Varex) for their help with gamma spectroscopy. For financial support of this work, we acknowledge the LANL G. T. Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science (graduate funding to JMD), and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office under competitively awarded contract IAA: HSHQDC-16-X-00088 (post-doctoral funding to JMD). Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by Triad National Security, LLC, for the National Nuclear Security Administration for the U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-SOL-0011206). This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2012-DN-130-NF0001. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. We also acknowledge the Development of a Synthetic Debris for Nuclear Forensics, Prime Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25946, Subcontract No. 104777 Task Order 41. LA-UR-18-24296.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA

    Jacquelyn M. Dorhout & Kenneth R. Czerwinski

  2. Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

    Jacquelyn M. Dorhout & Marianne P. Wilkerson

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  1. Jacquelyn M. Dorhout
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10967_2019_6433_MOESM1_ESM.docx

The Supplementary Information, including the UO2 p-XRD pattern, a simplified separation scheme, gamma spectra, count data for all extractions, and the total percent extraction for each isotope is available free of charge. LA-UR-18-25912. (DOCX 591 kb)

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Dorhout, J.M., Wilkerson, M.P. & Czerwinski, K.R. A UO2-based salt target for rapid isolation of fission products. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 319, 1291–1300 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06433-9

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