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Automated multi-column chromatographic separation of short-lived 242g, 240Am, 237U and 72Ga from fresh fission products

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Abstract

We present an automated separation method to simultaneously isolate short-lived activation products 242g, 240Am, 237U, 72Ga from fresh fission products prior to gamma spectrometric analysis. On the basis of multi-column chromatographic units (HDEHP resin, TBP resin, DGA resin, TEVA resin, Al2O3, activated carbon) assembly, smart media compatibility between adjacent columns, chromatographic conditions optimization and process automation design, a modularized and streamline separation procedure was developed. The established method allows better recoveries of 93%, 91% and 97% for americium, uranium and gallium separately and excellent decontamination factors of more than 105 for fission products even for large volume of samples. Because of highly efficient removal of interferents, this method coupled with well-type high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma spectrometers achieved highly sensitive and selective analysis of activation products in spiked complicated matrix samples.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Ning Yang from Xi’an pulse reactor (China) for preparation of the radionuclides.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an, 710024, Shaanxi, China

    Jinlong Fan, Yufeng Wang, Zhiming Li, Xiufang Zhai, Xiangbo Zhang, Pei Shang, Li Duan, Gongshuo Yu, Jianfeng Liang & Tao Bai

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  1. Jinlong Fan
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  2. Yufeng Wang
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  3. Zhiming Li
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Correspondence to Jinlong Fan.

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Fan, J., Wang, Y., Li, Z. et al. Automated multi-column chromatographic separation of short-lived 242g, 240Am, 237U and 72Ga from fresh fission products. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 2667–2678 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-08920-6

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