EXTRACTION CHROMATOGRAPHIC-SEPARATION OF PROMETHIUM FROM HIGH ACTIVE WASTE SOLUTIONS OF PUREX ORIGIN

An extraction chromatographic procedure for the separation of Pm-147 f rom High Active Waste solutions of Purex process has been developed. t yl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide(CMPO) and 2-et hylhexyl-2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid (KSM-17), both sorbed separately on an inert support (chromosorb-102) have been sequentially employed f or this purpose. In the CMPO column, the rare earths and the trivalent actinides are sorbed together with uranium, plutonium and traces of f ew other fission products. The elution of this column with 0.04 M HNO3 gives an eluate lanthanides. This containing trivalent actinides and solution, after adjusting the pH to 2.0, is used as feed for the secon d extraction chromatographic column based on KSM-17. All the trivalent metal ions are sorbed on the column leaving the trace impurities in t he effluent. Fractional elution of the metal ions from this column is carried out with nitric acid of varying concentrations. At 0.09 M HNO3 , the pure beta emitting fraction of Pm-147 has been obtained.