Extraction of Actinides with Tributyl Phosphate in Carbonates of Fluorinated Alcohols

New non-inflammable compounds - carbonates of fluorinated alcohols were proposed as potential diluents for tributyl phosphate (TBP). These compounds are commercially available, have high boiling point, high density, and low solubility in water solutions. Extraction of actinides from nitric acid by TBP solutions in fluorinated carbonates was studied. TBP solutions in fluorinated carbonates show lower extraction ability comparing with TBP solutions in hydrocarbon diluents. In spite of this, it is possible to extract more than 99.9% of tetra- and hexavalent actinides presented in spent nuclear fuel solutions. The advantage of proposed solvent is possibility to obtain uranium strip product with uranium concentration higher than 100 g/l.

Automated summary

The new non-inflammable compounds - carbonates of fluorinated alcohols are proposed as potential diluents for tributyl phosphate (TBP), with high boiling point, density, and low solubility in water. Although TBP solutions in fluorinated carbonates show lower extraction ability compared with TBP solutions in hydrocarbon diluents, they can still extract over 99.9% of tetra- and hexavalent actinides from spent nuclear fuel solutions effectively. The advantage of the proposed solvent is the possibility to obtain a uranium strip product with uranium concentration higher than 100 g/l.