Development of a novel solvent for the simultaneous separation of strontium and cesium from dissolved Spent Nuclear Fuel solutions

The recovery of Cs and Sr from acidic solutions by solvent extraction has been investigated. The goal of this project was to develop an extraction process to remove Cs and Sr from high-level waste in an effort to reduce the heat loading in storage. Solvents for the extraction of Cs and Sr separately have been used on both caustic and acidic spent nuclear fuel waste in the past. The objective of this research was to find a suitable solvent for the extraction of both Cs and Sr simultaneously from acidic nitrate media. The solvents selected for this research possess good stability and extraction behavior when mixed together. The extraction experiments were performed with 4 ,4,(5 )-Di-(tbutyldicyclohexano)- 18-crown-6 DtBuCH18C6, Calix[4]arene-bis-(tert-octylbenzocrown-6) BOBCalixC6 and 1-(2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropoxy)-3-(4-sec-butylphenoxy)-2-propanol Cs-7SB modifier in a branched aliphatic kerosene Isopar® L. The BOBCalixC6 and Cs-7SB modifier were developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) by Bonnesen et al. [1]. The values obtained from the SREX solvent for DSr in 1 M nitric acid ranged from 0.7 to 2.2 at 25oC and 10oC respectively. The values for DCs in 1 M nitric acid with the CSSX solvent ranged from 8.0 to 46.0 at 25oC and 10oC respectively. A new mixed solvent, developed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) by Riddle et al. [2], showed distributions for Sr ranging from 8.8 to 17.4 in 1 M nitric acid at 25oC and 10oC respectively. The DCs for the mixed solvent ranged from 7.7 to 20.2 in 1 M nitric acid at 25oC to 10oC respectively. The unexpectedly high distributions for Sr at both 25oC and 10oC show a synergy in the mixed solvent. The DCs, although lower than with CSSX solvent, still showed good extraction behavior.