ACTINIDE(III)/LANTHANIDE(III) SEPARATION VIA SELECTIVE AQUEOUS COMPLEXATION OF ACTINIDES(III) USING A HYDROPHILIC 2,6-BIS(1,2,4-TRIAZIN-3-YL)-PYRIDINE IN NITRIC ACID

i-SANEX is a process for separating actinides(III) from used nuclear fuels by solvent extraction: Actinides(III) and lanthanides(III) are co-extracted from a PUREX raffinate followed by selective back extraction of actinides(III) from the loaded organic phase. This step requires a complexing agent selective for actinides(III). A hydrophilic sulfonated bis triazinyl pyridine (SO3-Ph-BTP) was synthesized and tested for selective complexation of actinides(III) in nitric acid solution. When co-extracting Am(III) and Eu(III) from nitric acid into TODGA, adding SO3-Ph-BTP to the aqueous phase suppresses Am(III) extraction while Eu(III) is extracted. Separation factors in the range of 1000 are achieved. SO3-PhBTP remains active in nitric acid up to 2 mol/L. As a result of this performance, buffering or salting-out agents are not needed in the aqueous phase; nitric acid is used to keep the lanthanides(III) in the TODGA solvent. These properties make SO3-Ph-BTP a suitable candidate for i-SANEX process development.