Separation of Am from macro amount of lanthanides by a countercurrent multistage extraction with purified Cyanex 301 and TBP

Distribution ratios of Ain and lanthanides (Pr, Nd, Eu) increase with pH value and decrease with lanthanide concentrations in aqueous phase, exhibiting a separation factor as high as 200 in presence of macro amount lanthanides. A countercurrent multistage extraction flowsheet was presented extracting with a mixture of purified Cyanex 301 and TBP. It consisted of 12 stages, 7 for extraction, 3 for washing and 2 for stripping the Am from lanthanides. With the flowsheet, > 99.998% of the Am was extracted. The product flow was only contaminated < 0.04% of the lanthanides.