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Recycling of isotopically modified molybdenum from irradiated CerMet nuclear fuel: part 3—strontium separation from concentrated molybdate solution

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Abstract

This study is aimed at developing a promising method of strontium impurity separation from concentrated molybdenum solutions originating from molybdenum recycling from irradiated CerMet nuclear fuels with an isotopically tailored molybdenum matrix. Strontium sorption onto thirteen inorganic or composite absorbers from a slightly alkaline (pH 9.1) ammonium molybdate surrogate solution was studied. Based on the evaluation of weight distribution ratios, their dependence on molybdenum concentration and pH, and kinetics of sorption, calcium activated barium sulfate (Ba(Ca)SO4) was identified as the most promising material. In a dynamic column experiment performed with the Ba(Ca)SO4-PAN absorber, 2700 BV of the solution with cSr = 10−4 mol L−1 could be treated with a breakthrough of lower than 1% and 100% breakthrough was not achieved even after processing almost 7000 BV of the feed.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the EU 7th Framework Programme project ASGARD (EC-GA No. 295825) focusing on research into advanced/novel fuels fabrication and their reprocessing issues for Generation IV reactors, by the Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University in Prague (Grants Nos. SGS12/199/OHK4/3T/14 and SGS15/216/OHK4/3T/14), and by the Centre for advanced applied science, Project Number CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000778, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.

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  1. Department of Nuclear Chemistry, Czech Technical University in Prague, Břehová 7, 115 19, Prague 1, Czech Republic

    Kamil Vavřinec Mareš, Ferdinand Šebesta & Jan John

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  1. Kamil Vavřinec Mareš
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  2. Ferdinand Šebesta
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Correspondence to Kamil Vavřinec Mareš.

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Mareš, K.V., Šebesta, F. & John, J. Recycling of isotopically modified molybdenum from irradiated CerMet nuclear fuel: part 3—strontium separation from concentrated molybdate solution. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 321, 277–284 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06553-2

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