Abstract—
The use of magnetic fields in nonaqueous spent nuclear fuel treatment processes involving molten salts opens up new possibilities for selective extraction of radionuclides. In this research, this approach has been applied to the selective extraction of rare-earth elements and zirconium. We have studied strontium hexaferrite and a spinel ferrite as a magnetic carrier, examined the feasibility of utilizing it alkali chloride melts, and analyzed the effect of process conditions (temperature, holding time, and Zr content) on the effectiveness of Nd and Zr extraction by magnetic separation.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Orlova, A.I., High-temperature preconcentration of fuel cycle components via incorporation of double salts into crystalline matrices, Extended Abstract of Doctoral (Chem.) Dissertation, Leningrad, 1988.
Lukinykh, A.N., Lavrinovich, Yu.G., et al., High-level waste composition, properties and preparation for long-term storage after pyroelectrochemical reprocessing of irradiated oxide uranium-plutonium fuel, 5th Int. Conf. on Recycling, Conditioning and Disposal, RECOD98, Nice, 1998, vol. 3, pp. 814–821.
Volkovich, V.A., Griffiths, T.R., and Thied, R.C., Formation of lanthanide phosphates in molten salts and evaluation for nuclear waste treatment, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2003, vol. 5, no. 14, pp. 3053–3060.
Lizin, A.A., Tomilin, S.V., and Chistyakov, V.M., Research at OAO GNTs NIIAR on the disposal of high-level waste from pyrochemical processes, Vopr. At. Nauki Tekh., Ser.: Materialoved. Novye Mater., 2014, no. 3, pp. 96–114.
Mal’tsev, D.S., Volkovich, V.A., and Vasin, B.D., Diffusion coefficients of uranium(III) and (IV) ions in a eutectic LiCl–KCl–CsCl melt, Rasplavy, 2016, no. 3, pp. 226–237.
Mal’tsev, D.S., Volkovich, V.A., and Vasin, B.D., Redox potentials of uranium in a molten eutectic mixture of lithium, potassium, and cesium chlorides, Rasplavy, 2016, no. 3, pp. 238–244.
Kazakovtseva, N.A., Maikov, M.A., and Nikitina, E.V., Corrosion of 12Kh18N10T steel in a LiCl–KCl–nNdCl3 melt, Rasplavy, 2018, no. 3, pp. 344–349.
Amamoto, I., Kofuji, H., Myochin, M., et al., Phosphates behavior in conversion of FP chlorides, J. Nucl. Mater., 2009, vol. 389, no. 1, pp. 142–148.
Cho, Y.Z., Lee, T.K., Choi, J.H., et al., Eutectic (LiCl–KCl) waste salt treatment by sequential separation process, Nucl. Eng. Technol., 2013, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 675–682.
Harrison, M.T., Simms, H.E., Jackson, A., et al., Salt waste treatment from a LiCl–KCl based pyrochemical spent fuel treatment process, Radiochim. Acta, 2008, vol. 96, nos. 4–5, pp. 295–301.
Koyama, T., Johnson, T.R., and Fischer, D.F., Distribution of actinides in molten chloride salt/cadmium metal system, J. Alloys Compd., 1992, vol. 189, no. 1, pp. 37–44.
Hébant, P. and Picard, G.S., Equilibrium reaction between molecular and ionic species in pure LiCl and in LiCl–MCl (M = Na, K, Rb) melts investigated by computational chemistry, J. Mol. Struct., 1995, vol. 358, nos. 1–3, pp. 39–50.
Roy, J.J., Grantham, L.F., Grimmet, D.L., et al., Thermodynamic properties of U, Np, Pu, and Am in molten LiCl–KCl eutectic and liquid cadmium, J. Electrochem. Soc., 1996, vol. 143, no. 8, pp. 2487–2492.
Shirai, O., Iwai, T., Suzuki, Y., et al., Electrochemical behavior of actinide ions in LiCl–KCl eutectic melts, J. Alloys Compd., 1998, vols. 271–273, pp. 685–688.
Lexa, D., On the reactive occlusion of the (uranium trichloride + lithium chloride + potassium chloride) eutectic salt in zeolite 4A, J. Nucl. Mater., 1999, vol. 279, no. 1, pp. 57–64.
Iizuka, M., Uozumi, K., Inoue, T., et al., Behavior of plutonium and americium at liquid cadmium cathode in molten LiCl–KCl electrolyte, J. Nucl. Mater., 2001, vol. 299, no. 1, pp. 32–42.
Simpson, M.F. and Gougar, M.L.D., Two-site equilibrium model for ion exchange between monovalent cations and zeolite-A in a molten salt, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2003, vol. 42, no. 18, pp. 4208–4212.
Serp, J., Konings, R.J.M., Malmbeck, R., et al., Electrochemical behavior of plutonium ion in LiCl–KCl eutectic melts, J. Electroanal. Chem., 2004, vol. 561, pp. 143–148.
Kuznetsov, S.A., Hayashi, H., Minato, K., et al., Electrochemical behavior and some thermodynamic properties of UCl4 and UCl3 dissolved in a LiCl–KCl eutectic melt, J. Electrochem. Soc., 2005, vol. 152, no. 4, pp. 203–212.
Kim, T.J., Jung, Y., Shim, J.B., et al., Study on physicochemical properties of U3+ in LiCl–KCl eutectic media at 773 K, J.Radioanal. Nucl., 2011, vol. 287, no. 1, pp. 347–350.
Park, H.-S., Kim, I.-T., Cho, Y.-J., et al., Removal behavior of Cs from molten salt by using zeolitic materials, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., 2010, vol. 283, no. 2, pp. 267–272.
Wasnik, M., Carlson, K., and Simpson, M.F., Waste minimization of electrorefiner waste salt via dechlorination: a new approach, Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc., 2017, vol. 117, pp. 281–282.
Liu, K., Liu, Y.-L., Chai, Z.-F., et al., Evaluation of the electroextractions of Ce and Nd from LiCl–KCl molten salt using liquid Ga electrode, J. Electrochem. Soc., 2017, vol. 164, no. 4, pp. 169–178.
Volkovich, V.A., Vasin, B.D., Mal’tsev, D.S., and Aleksandrov, D.E., RF Patent 2499306, Byull. Izobret., 2013, no. 32.
Volkovich, V.A., Ivanov, A.B., Sobolev, A.A., Vasin, B.D., and Griffiths, T.R., An electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical study of Ln(II) (Ln = Sm, Eu, Yb) Species in NaCl–2CsCl melt, ECS Trans., 2014, vol. 64, no. 4, pp. 617–634.
Pollert, E., Crystal chemistry of magnetic oxides: part 2. Hexagonal ferrites, Prog. Cryst. Growth, Charact. Mater., 1985, no. 11, pp. 155–205.
Yamamoto, H. and Obara, G., Magnetic properties of anisotropic sintered magnets using Sr–La–Co system powders by mechanical compounding method, J. Jpn. Soc. Powder Powder Metall., 2000, vol. 47, pp. 796–800.
Yamomoto, H. and Obara, G., Effect of La2O3 and Co3O4 Additives on Magnetic Properties of Sr-M ferrite by mechanical compounding method, J. Jpn. Soc. Powder Powder Metall., 2000, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 160–164.
Bashkirov, L.A., Krasovskaya, L.I., Velikanova, I.A., and Polyko, D.D., Crystal structure and magnetic properties of ferrites in the Sr1 –xLaxFe12 –xCuxO19 system, Tr. BGTU, Khim. Tekhnol. Neorg. Veshchestv, 2011, no. 3, pp. 43–50.
Taguchi, H., Takeishi, T., and Suwa, K., High energy ferrite magnets, J. Phys. IV, 1997, no. 7 (C1), pp. C1-311–C1-312.
Mocuta, H. and Morel, A., Structural and magnetic properties of hydrothermally synthesised Sr1– xNdxFe12O19 hexagonal ferrites, J. Alloys Compd., 2004, vol. 364, no. 1, pp. 48–52.
Lechevallier, L., Le Breton, J.M., Morel, A., and Tenaud, P., Influence of the presence of Co on the rare earth solubility in M-type hexaferrite powders, J. Magn. Magn. Mater., 2007, vol. 316, no. 2, pp. 109–111.
Lechevallier, L. and Le Breton, J.M., On the solubility of rare earths in M-type SrFe12O19 hexaferrite compounds, J. Phys. Condens. Matter, 2008, no. 20, pp. 175203–175212.
Ze, W., Bashkirov, L.A., Trukhanov, S.V., et al., Crystal structure and magnetic properties of Sr1 –xSmxFe12 –x-CoxO19 solid solutions, Inorg. Mater., 2014, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 290–295.
Polyko, D.D., Bashkirov, L.A., Lobanovskii, L.S., and Trukhanov, S.V., Crystal structure and magnetic properties of high-coercivity Sr1– xNdxFe12– xZnxO19 and (Sr0.85Ca0.15)1– xNdxFe12– xZnxO19 ferrites at temperatures from 6 to 300 K in magnetic fields of up to 14 T, Tr. BGTU, Khim. Tekhnol. Neorg. Veshchestv, 2009, no. 3, pp. 83–84.
Polyko, D.D., Bashkirov, L.A., Trukhanov, S.V., et al., Crystal structure and magnetic properties of high-coercivity Sr1 –xPrxFe12 –xZnxO19 solid solutions, Inorg. Mater., 2011, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 79–84.
Morishita, H., Amano, A., Ueda, H., et al., Single crystal growth of strontium ferrite with magnetoplumbite structure using the traveling solvent floating zone method, J. Jpn. Soc. Powder Powder Metall., 2014, vol. 61, no. S1, pp. S64–S66.
Mathew, D.S. and Juang, R.S., An overview of the structure and magnetism of spinel ferrite nanoparticles and their synthesis in microemulsions, Chem. Eng. J., 2007, vol. 129, pp. 51–65.
Ngomsik, A.F., Bee, A., Draye, M., et al., Magnetic nano- and microparticles for metal removal and environmental applications: a review, C. R. Chim., 2005, vol. 8, pp. 963–970.
Gao, Z., Cui, F., Zeng, S., et al., A high surface area superparamagnetic mesoporous spinel ferrite synthesized by a template-free approach and its adsorptive property, Microporous Mesoporous Mater., 2010, vol. 132, nos. 1–2, pp. 188–195.
Tu, Y.J., You, C.F., and Chang, C.K., Kinetics and thermodynamics of adsorption for Cd on green manufactured nano-particles, J. Hazard. Mater., 2012, vols. 235–236, pp. 116–122.
Harikishore, K.R.D. and Yun, Y.S., Spinel ferrite magnetic adsorbents: alternative future materials for water purification?, Coord. Chem. Rev., 2016, vol. 315, pp. 90–111.
Kefeni, K.K., Mamba, B.B., and Msagati, T.A.M., Application of spinel ferrite nanoparticles in water and wastewater treatment: a review, Sep. Purif. Technol., 2017, vol. 188, pp. 399–422.
Krauskopf, K.B., Thorium and rare-earth metals as analogs for actinide elements, Chem. Geol., 1986, vol. 55, pp. 323–335.
Funding
This work was supported through contract no. 63/3998 between Lobachevsky State University and the Leading Research Institute of Chemical Technology: Development of Methods for Isolating Actinides, Rare-Earth Elements, and Zirconium from Molten Salts.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Translated by O. Tsarev
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alekseeva, L.S., Savinykh, D.O., Orlova, A.I. et al. Magnetic Separation Method for Isolating Rare-Earth Elements and Zirconium from Molten Salts. Inorg Mater 56, 583–590 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0020168520060011
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0020168520060011