Uranyl ions in nitric acid solutions can be effectively extracted by supercritical CO 2 containing tributyl phosphate (TBP) or organophosphine oxides. The form of the extracted uranyl nitrate-TBP complex and the kinetics of the supercritical extraction are similar to those reported for the conventional solvent extraction of uranyl nitrate with TBP. On-line back-extraction of uranium in supercritical CO 2 with an aqueous solution has also been demonstrated. The results suggest that supercritical CO 2 could be as effective as the organic solvents used in the PUREX process. Supercritical CO 2 containing organophosphinic acids such as Cyanex 301 and Cyanex 302 has been shown to extract heavy lanthanides selectively from the light lanthanides in aqueous solutions. This in situ chelation-SFE technique is also capable of removing leachable uranium from solid samples such as mine tailings as indicated by the EPA Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure.There has been considerable interest in the past two decades to utilize supercritical fluids as solvents for chemical separations (i). The reasons for developing supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technologies are mostly due to the environmental regulations and waste disposal costs for conventional solvents. Supercritical fluids have both gas-like and liquid-like properties. The solvation power of a supercritical fluid depends on pressure and temperature; thus, one can achieve the optimum conditions for a particular separation process by manipulating the temperature and pressure of the fluid phase. The high diffusivity and low viscosity of supercritical fluids enable them to penetrate and transport solutes from solid matrices. Carbon dioxide is the most widely used gas for SFE because of its moderate critical constants (T c = 31.3 °C, P c = 72.9 atm), nontoxic nature, and availability in pure form. In SFE processes, solutes dissolved in supercritical carbon dioxide are separated by reducing 390 In Metal-Ion Separation and Preconcentration; Bond, A., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1999.
391the pressure of the fluid phase causing precipitation of the solutes. The fluid phase is usually expanded into a collection vessel to remove the solutes and the gas is recycled for repeated use. Typical examples of large-scale industrial applications of the SFE technology using supercritical C0 2 include the preparation of decaffeinated coffee and hop extracts (1).Until recently, little information was available in the literature regarding SFE of metal species. Direct extraction of metal ions is highly inefficient because of the charge neutralization requirement and the weak solute-solvent interactions. However, when metal ions are chelated with organic ligands, they may become quite soluble in supercritical C0 2 (2). This in situ chelation-SFE technique appears to have a wide range of applications including the treatment of metal contaminated or radioactive waste materials and mineral processing.Background