Development of a process for the separation of MA(III) from Ln(III) fission products using HONTA impregnated adsorbent.

To minimize the use of organic solvents and achieve a selective adsorption separation of minor actinides (MA(III)) and Ln(III), adsorbents consisting of SiO2–P particles impregnated with hexaoctylnitrilotriacetamide (HONTA) were prepared. Batch experiments were performed to evaluate the adsorption properties of the HONTA/SiO2–P adsorbent for MA(III) and simulated fission products in HNO3 solution. The uniform distribution of Eu(III) on the adsorbent was confirmed via particle-induced X-ray emission analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that EuNO3 was the adsorbed species. This study provides a simplified process for the separation of MA(III) using a HONTA/SiO2–P-packed column. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]