EXTRACTION OF STRONTIUM FROM ACIDIC NITRATE MEDIA USING A MODIFIED PUREX SOLVENT

A new process for the extraction and recovery of strontium from acidic waste streams is described. In this process, a modification of the pr eviously described SREX (for strontium extraction) process, strontium is extracted from acidic (greater than or equal to 2 M nitric acid) so lution using a 0.2 M solution of di-t-butylcyclohexano-18-crown-6 in a ny of a variety of phase modifier/paraffinic hydrocarbon mixtures, amo ng them a PUREX-like diluent comprised of a 1.2 M solution of tri-n-bu tyl-phosphate in Isopar L. Tests of this process solvent on a syntheti c dissolved sludge waste show that only strontium and barium are appre ciably extracted by the crown ether under the experimental conditions. As expected, uranium and plutonium are extracted even in the absence of the crown ether.