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New approaches to the separation and concentration of americium in high oxidation forms for the fractionation of high-level waste

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Abstract

The separation of americium during the fractionation of a highly active raffinate obtained in the extraction processing of spent nuclear fuel represents an urgent task of the contemporary nuclear fuel cycle. The article discusses new approaches to this task. It is shown that a sodium bismuthate powder (NaBiO3), upon contact with a solution of Am (III) and Cm (III), oxidizes Am (III) to Am (VI) and sorbs actinides. The addition of a (NH4)2CO3 solution results in a content of up to 91% of americium and about 2% of curium in the solution after desorption. The behavior of americium and curium in acidic and alkaline solutions of potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) was studied. In acidic solutions of HNO3, americium and curium are precipitated, while praseodymium, comprising a lanthanide simulator, remains quantified in the supernatant. In alkaline solutions of potassium hexacyanoferrate (III), ~50% of Am (III) is shown to oxidize to Am (V). The obtained results can be used as a basis for a new technology of separating americium from curium and lanthanides for the purposes of americium transmutation.

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Funding

The work was carried out with the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia (grant agreement No. 075-15-2020-782).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russian Federation

    E. Yu. Khvorostinin, P. A. Osin, T. I. Trofimov, Yu. M. Kulyako & S. E. Vinokurov

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  1. E. Yu. Khvorostinin
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  2. P. A. Osin
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  3. T. I. Trofimov
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  4. Yu. M. Kulyako
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  5. S. E. Vinokurov
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Correspondence to E. Yu. Khvorostinin.

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Translated from Atomnaya Energiya, Vol. 134, No. 5–6, pp. 249–255, May–June, 2023.

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Original article submitted June 30, 2023

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Khvorostinin, E.Y., Osin, P.A., Trofimov, T.I. et al. New approaches to the separation and concentration of americium in high oxidation forms for the fractionation of high-level waste. At Energy 134, 338–345 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-024-01063-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-024-01063-1

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