A simple and effective separation of UO2 and Ln2O3 assisted by NH4Cl in LiCl–KCl eutectic

Liu, Yi-Chuan; Zhao, Yuan; Liu, Zhe; Zhou, Tong; Zou, Qing; Zeng, Xian; Zhong, Yuke; Li, Mei; Sun, Zhongxuan; Shi, Wei‐Qun

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152049

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…A JY 2000-2 inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to determine the exact composition of the obtained products, after dissolving the samples in aqua regia. 34…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accelerated Separation of Uranium from Lanthanides (La, Ce, Sm) in LiCl-KCl Eutectic by Porous Aluminum Electrodes

Wang

Jiang

Zhong

et al. 2023

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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In order to optimize the application of Al electrodes in pyrochemical reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, the feasibility of porous Al electrodes to separate actinides-lanthanides (An-Ln) in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt was explored. The separation efficiencies and rates of U and lanthanides (La, Ce, Sm) on Al electrodes with regular and irregular and without pores were compared. U was selectively recovered in the form of U-Al alloys by controlling the potential (-1.2 V) on both Al rod and porous Al electrodes. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that the obtained granular alloys were mainly Al3U and Al4U, and inductive coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry indicated that there was almost no Ln in the electrolysis products. Positively, the required separation time was greatly shortened, and the separation rate was effectively improved when porous Al electrodes were used. In addition, the Al honeycomb electrode with regular pores has better kinetic performance compared with Al foam electrodes with irregular pores. The results indicate that the specially designed porous Al electrodes may have a good application prospect for the separation of An-Ln in the pyrochemical reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accelerated Separation of Uranium from Lanthanides (La, Ce, Sm) in LiCl-KCl Eutectic by Porous Aluminum Electrodes

Wang

Jiang

Zhong

et al. 2023

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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“…In contrast, a different case of low-valent uranium center is found in A 2 USi 6 O 15 (A = K, Rb, Cs), which was synthesized under a flow of nitrogen . Actually, fluxes of alkali or alkaline earth halides have the attribute of redox neutral nature and thus allow for the preservation of reduced oxidation states or complex species in eutectic flux − or as-synthesized compounds . Therefore, it is desirable to further study the flux growth under inert atmosphere of uranium silicate for exploring the possible valence diversity of uranium.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Valence Diversity of Uranium by Flux Growth of Uranium Silicate under Inert Atmosphere

Zhang,

Bo,

Huang

et al. 2024

Inorg. Chem.

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The attributes of good solubility and the redoxneutral nature of molten salt fluxes enable them to be useful for the synthesis of novel crystalline actinide compounds. In this work, a flux growth method under an inert atmosphere is proposed to explore the valence diversity of uranium, and a series of five uranium silicate structures, [ 4), and Cs 6 [U IV (U V O) 2 (Si 12 O 32 )] ( 5), were synthesized using different metal halide salt and feeding U/Si ratios. Crystal structure analysis reveals that the utilization of argon atmosphere that helps to avoid possible oxidation of low-valence uranium generates a variety of oxidation states of uranium including U(VI), U(V), U(IV), mixed-valence U(V) and U(VI), and mixed-valence U(IV) and U(V). Characterization of physicochemical properties of representative compounds shows that all these uranium silicate compounds have bandgaps among the range of 2.0−3.4 eV, and mixed-valence uranium silicate compounds have relatively narrower bandgaps. Density functional theory calculations on formation enthalpies, lattice energies, and bandgaps of all five compounds were also performed to provide more structural information about these uranium silicates. This work enriches the library of variable-valence uranium silicate compounds and provides a feasible way to produce novel actinide compounds with intriguing properties through the flux growth method that might show potential application in relevant fields such as storage media for nuclear waste.

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“…As a clean, environmentally friendly, and efficient energy source, nuclear energy is attracting considerable attention in the face of climate change and energy crisis. With the development of the Generation-IV reactors, the higher burnup of nuclear fuel and the need for more irradiation-resistant media for reprocessing have made conventional reprocessing technologies inapplicable for advanced nuclear fuel cycles. − The pyrochemical process, using molten salts as media, is considered to be the most likely commercial application to support the utilization of energy resources in the new generation of spent fuel, and it has been vigorously developed in recent decades. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrochemical Behaviors and Extraction of Ln(III) (Ln = La, Ce, Nd) Ions in LiCl–KCl–CsCl Eutectic Salts at Low Temperatures

Liu

Wang

Jiang

et al. 2023

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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The LiCl–KCl–CsCl eutectic salt is expected to be used as a melt medium for the pyrochemical process of spent fuels because of its low melting point properties that reduce the temperature resistance requirements of the equipment. In this work, the electrochemical behaviors of La(III), Ce(III), and Nd(III) ions in the LiCl–KCl–CsCl eutectic salt in the range of 563–683 K were investigated, and it was found that the difficulty of cathodic passivation was in the order of La(III) < Ce(III) < Nd(III). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronopotentiometry (CP) methods were conducted to determine the diffusion coefficients of La(III), Ce(III), and Nd(III). The corresponding diffusion activation energies were also calculated. It was also found that the passivation phenomenon does not affect the equilibrium potentials of La(III), Ce(III), and Nd(III), so we determined the apparent electrode potentials of La(III) and Ce (III) in the range of 563–683 K and Nd(III) in the range of 623–683 K by the galvanostatic voltammetry (GV) method. Finally, Ce and Nd metals were successfully extracted by potentiostatic electrolysis at 563 K for 4 h.

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A simple and effective separation of UO2 and Ln2O3 assisted by NH4Cl in LiCl–KCl eutectic

Cited by 13 publications

References 33 publications

Accelerated Separation of Uranium from Lanthanides (La, Ce, Sm) in LiCl-KCl Eutectic by Porous Aluminum Electrodes

Accelerated Separation of Uranium from Lanthanides (La, Ce, Sm) in LiCl-KCl Eutectic by Porous Aluminum Electrodes

Exploring the Valence Diversity of Uranium by Flux Growth of Uranium Silicate under Inert Atmosphere

Electrochemical Behaviors and Extraction of Ln(III) (Ln = La, Ce, Nd) Ions in LiCl–KCl–CsCl Eutectic Salts at Low Temperatures

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