Separation of curium from americium using composite sorbents and complexing agent solutions

Abstract

The EXAm and the AmSel liquid-liquid extraction processes have been used as bases for the development of chromatographic systems for separation of curium(III) from americium(III). The liquid organic phases were replaced by composite sorbents with PAN binding matrix and complexing agent in nitric acid solutions were employed as aqueous phases. The influence of complexing agent and nitric acid concentrations on weight distribution coefficients and separation factor and the kinetics of the actinide uptake were determined in batch experiments with trace amounts of 241 Am and 244 Cm. The efficiency of Cm(III) separation from Am(III) was evaluated in column experiment.

Solvent Extraction and Fluorescence Spectroscopic Investigation of the Selective Am(III) Complexation with TS-BTPhen

“…The high selectivity of TS-BTPhen towards americium over curium has been previously described in the literature for the chromatographic separation of Am(III) from Cm(III) using a TODGA-PAN based chromatographic column. [15] Preliminary studies on liquid-liquid extraction using TSBTPhen [16] in nitric acid and DGA-based extractants in the organic phase have been published recently by our group. [17] In this paper the influence of the hydrophilic complexant TS-BTPhen on the extraction of actinides and lanthanides using TODGA was investigated with respect to its ability to carry out the selective back-extraction of americium from the organic phase.…”