Skip to main content
Log in

Determination of 93Zr and 237Np in nuclear power plant wastes

  • Published:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A combined radioanalytical method for determination of 93Zr and 237Np (as well as other actinoids) in radioactive wastes has been developed. Analytes were co-precipitated on iron(II)-hydroxide, separated and purified on UTEVA columns, and detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. According to Zr and Np, 65 and 75% yields were achieved, respectively.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Erdtmann G, Soyka W (1979) The gamma rays of the radionuclides. Verlag Chemie, Weinheim

    Google Scholar 

  2. Excoffier E, Bienvenu P, Combes C, Pontremoli S, Delteil N, Ferrini R (2000) Determination of 93Zr, 107Pd and 135Cs in zircaloy hulls-Analytical development on inactive samples. In: Scientific research on the back-end of the fuel cycle for the 21st century (Atalante 2000), Avignon, France, 24–26 Oct 2000

  3. Chartier F, Isnard H, Degros JP, Faure AL, Fréchou C (2008) Application of the isotope dilution technique for 93Zr determination in an irradiated cladding material by multiple collector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Int J Mass Spectrom 270:127–133

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Espartero AG, Suárez JA, Rodríguez M, Pina G (2002) Radiochemical analysis of 93Zr. Appl Radiat Isot 56:41–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Steinberg EP (1960) The radiochemistry of zirconium and hafnium. Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, p 22

  6. Remenec B (2008) Determination of low energy gamma (129I) and beta (151Sm, 93Zr) emitting radionuclides in radwaste from NPP A1 Jaslovske Bohunice In: seventh international conference on nuclear and radiochemistry (NRC7), Budapest, Hungary, 24–29 Aug 2008

  7. Bombard A (2005) Dosage de radionucléides à vie longue, 93Zr, 93Mo et 94Nb, dans des échantillons issus de l’industrie nucléaire. Thesis, Nantes Univ., France

  8. Puech P (1998) Détermination des radionucléides zirconium 93 et molybdène 93 dans des effluents de retraitement des combustibles irradiés. Thesis, Univ. Paris, France

  9. Maxwell SL, Jones VD (1998) Rapid separation methods to characterize actinides and metallic impurities in plutonium scrap materials at SRS. In: 39th annual meeting-institute of nuclear materials management, Naples, FL

  10. Makishima A, Zhu XK, Belshaw NS, O’Nions RK (2002) Separation of titanium from silicates for isotopic ratio determination using multiple collector ICP-MS. J Anal At Spectrom 17(10):1290–1294

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Le Fevre B, Pin C (2002) Determination of Zr, Hf, Th and U by isotope dilution and inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometry after concomitant separation using extraction chromatography. Geostand Newsl 26(2):161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Le Fevre B, Pin C (2001) An extraction chromatography method for Hf Separation prior to isotopic analysis using multiple collection ICP-mass spectrometry. Anal Chem 73:2453–2460

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wolf SF (2006) Trace analysis of actinides in geological, environmental, and biological Matrices. In: Morss LR, Edelstein NM, Fuger J (eds) The chemistry of the actinide and transactinide elements, vol 5, 3rd edn. Springer, Dordrecht, p 3273

  14. Perna L, Betti M, Moreno JMB, Fuoco R (2001) Investigation on the use of UTEVA as a stationary phase for chromatographic separation of actinides on-line to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. J Anal At Spectrom. 16:26–31

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Morgenstern A, Apostolidis C, Carlos-Marquez R, Mayer K, Molinet R (2002) Single-column extraction chromatographic separation of U, Pu, Np and Am. Radiochem Acta 90:81–85

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Kalmykov StN, Aliev RA, Sapozhnikov DYu, Sapozhnikov YuA, Afinogenov AM (2004) Determination of Np-237 by radiochemical neutron activation analysis combined with extraction chromatography. Appl Radiat Isot 60(2–4):595–599

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Osváth Sz, Vajda N, Molnár Zs (2009) Development of a complex method for the determination of actinoides. Radioanal Nucl Chem 281(3):461–465

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Varga Zs, Surányi G, Vajda N, Stefánka Zs (2007) Rapid sequential determination of americium and plutonium sediment and soil samples by ICP-SFMS and alpha spectrometry. Radiochim Acta 95:81–87

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Horwitz EP, Dietz ML, Diamond H, Essling AM, Graczyk D (1992) Separation and preconcentration of uranium from acidic media by extraction chromatography. Anal Chem Acta 266:25–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Vajda N, Törvényi A, Kis-Benedek G, Kim CK (2009) Development of extraction chromatographic separation procedures for the simultaneous determination of actinides. Radiochem Acta 97:9–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Espartero AG, Suárez JA, Rodrígez M (1998) Determination of 93mNb and 94Nb in medium and low level radioactive wastes. Appl Radiat Isot 49(9–11):1277–1282

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Osváth Sz, Vajda N, Molnár Zs (2008) Determination of long-lived Nb isotopes in nuclear power plant wastes. Appl Radiat Isot 66:24–27

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Möller W, Burmester M (1987) Calculation of passive neutron emission for spent WWER-440 fuel. Report SAAS-347 Staatliches Amt für Atomsicherheit und Strahlenschutz

  24. Sill CW (1987) Precipitation of actinides as fluorides or hydroxides for high resolution a-spectrometry. Nucl Chem Waste Manag. 7:201–215

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Currie LA (1995) Nomenclature in evaluation of analytical methods including detection and quantification capabilities. Pure Appl Chem 67:1699–1723

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sz. Osváth.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Osváth, S., Vajda, N., Stefánka, Z. et al. Determination of 93Zr and 237Np in nuclear power plant wastes. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 287, 459–463 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0886-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0886-9

Keywords

Navigation