Feasibility of density-based separation of Ce and Hf intermetallics in liquid Bi.

Autor: Seo G; Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, [44919] 50 UNIST-gil, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: galam1387@unist.ac.kr., Shin HW; Korea Radioactive Waste Agency, [38218] 1138, Donghaean-ro, Munmudaewang-myeon, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: shinhw0310@naver.com., Park J; Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, [44919] 50 UNIST-gil, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jypark@unist.ac.kr.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Chemosphere [Chemosphere] 2024 Sep; Vol. 363, pp. 142882. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 16.
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142882
Abstrakt: Efficient separation of actinide elements from molten salts employed in pyroprocessing can significantly diminish the radiological hazards and oversight duration associated with spent nuclear fuel storage. The lanthanum content of waste salts is very high compared to actinides, leading to the co-electrodeposition of both groups of elements for conventional electrochemical techniques. Due to the difficulty in separating the two groups of elements, the feasibility of the density-based separation using liquid bismuth and intermetallics was explored. Hafnium was used as a stand-in for actinide elements with physical properties mirroring those of actinide-laden Bi-Hf intermetallics. Conversely, cerium was chosen to represent lanthanides. This study delved into the formation and spatial distribution of bismuth intermetallics under varying concentration ratios and cooling durations. Comprehensive characterization was achieved using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry. The analysis showed that Bi-Ce particles were formed and distributed in the upper layer of the Bi ingot, and Bi-(Ce, Hf) particles containing both Ce and Hf in the lower layer. The findings underscore the viability of density-based separation while highlighting the intricacies related to intermetallic coprecipitation. Continued investigations are essential to fully harness the potential of density-based separation.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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