The TRUSPEAK Concept: Combining CMPO and HDEHP for Separating Trivalent Lanthanides from the Transuranic Elements

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Abstract

Abstract Combining octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutyl-carbamoylmethyl-phosphine oxide (CMPO) and bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) into a single process solvent for separating transuranic elements from liquid high-level waste is explored. Co-extraction of americium and the lanthanide elements from nitric acid solution is possible with a solvent mixture consisting of 0.1 M CMPO plus 1 M HDEHP in n-dodecane. Switching the aqueous-phase chemistry to a citrate-buffered solution of diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) allows for selective stripping of americium, separating it from the lanthanide elements. Potential strategies have been developed for managing molybdenum and zirconium (both of which co-extract with americium and the lanthanides). The work presented here demonstrates the feasibility of combining CMPO and HDEHP into a single extraction solvent for recovering americium from high-level waste and its separation from the lanthanides. Keywords: Lanthanide separationactinide separationlanthanide/actinide separationCMPOHDEHP ACKNOWLEDGMENT This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, through the Fuel Cycle Research and Development Program. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle Memorial Institute for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-76RL01830.

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