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Rapid determination of actinides in seawater samples

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Abstract

A new rapid method for the determination of actinides in seawater samples has been developed at the Savannah River National Laboratory. The actinides can be measured by alpha spectrometry or inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The new method employs novel pre-concentration steps to collect the actinide isotopes quickly from 80 L or more of seawater. Actinides are co-precipitated using an iron hydroxide co-precipitation step enhanced with Ti+3 reductant, followed by lanthanum fluoride co-precipitation. Stacked TEVA Resin and TRU Resin cartridges are used to rapidly separate Pu, U, and Np isotopes from seawater samples. TEVA Resin and DGA Resin were used to separate and measure Pu, Am and Cm isotopes in seawater volumes up to 80 L. This robust method is ideal for emergency seawater samples following a radiological incident. It can also be used, however, for the routine analysis of seawater samples for oceanographic studies to enhance efficiency and productivity. In contrast, many current methods to determine actinides in seawater can take 1–2 weeks and provide chemical yields of ~30–60 %. This new sample preparation method can be performed in 4–8 h with tracer yields of ~85–95 %. By employing a rapid, robust sample preparation method with high chemical yields, less seawater is needed to achieve lower or comparable detection limits for actinide isotopes with less time and effort.

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Acknowledgments

This work was performed under the auspices of the Department of Energy, DOE Contract No. DE-AC09-96SR18500. The authors wish to acknowledge Staci Britt, Phil Demaere, Jack Herrington and Becky Chavous for their assistance with this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Savannah River National Laboratory, Building 735-B, Aiken, SC, 29808, USA

    Sherrod L. Maxwell, Brian K. Culligan, Jay B. Hutchison & Robin C. Utsey

  2. PG Research Foundation, Inc., Lisle, IL, 60532, USA

    Daniel R. McAlister

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  1. Sherrod L. Maxwell
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  2. Brian K. Culligan
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  3. Jay B. Hutchison
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  4. Robin C. Utsey
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  5. Daniel R. McAlister
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Correspondence to Sherrod L. Maxwell.

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Maxwell, S.L., Culligan, B.K., Hutchison, J.B. et al. Rapid determination of actinides in seawater samples. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 300, 1175–1189 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-014-3079-0

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