1
|
Zhang L, Vassileva E. Determination of ultra-trace level 241Am in marine sediment and seawater by combining TK200-TK221 tandem-column extraction chromatography and SF ICP-MS. Talanta 2024; 271:125724. [PMID: 38301375 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.125724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Sound strategies for marine chemical monitoring call for measurement systems capable of producing comparable analytical results with demonstrated quality. This work presents the development and validation of a new analytical procedure for the determination of the 241Am mass fraction in marine sediment and seawater samples at low levels. The procedure includes a tandem-column extraction chromatography for separation of 241Am and sector field-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF ICP-MS) for its determination. The separation is based on the application of two new extraction resins, TK200 and TK221. The acid leaching method was employed for the pre-treatment of marine sediments, while Fe(OH)3 co-precipitation was used for Am pre-concentration in seawater samples. The extraction behaviors of Am on TK221 resins in the different acidic mediums were investigated. The removal capabilities of the tandem TK200-TK221 columns for the 241Am in the presence of interfering elements including Pu, Pb, Hg, Bi, Tl, Pt, Hf, U, and Th were carefully investigated and the corresponding decontamination factors (DFs) estimated to be in the range from 104 to 106. The main interfering element Pu was efficiently removed with a DF of about 6 × 105. Matrix rare earth elements (REEs) in marine sediments were further removed by the application of TEVA resins. 241Am mass fraction was quantified by the application of external calibration and SF ICP-MS. Following the recommendations of the ISO/IEC 17025 guidelines, the validation of the analytical procedure was accomplished by executing it on the certified reference material (CRM) IAEA-385 (marine sediment) and the seawater IAEA-443 reference materials (RM). The obtained results showed that 241Am mass fractions were accurately determined in both reference samples, with excellent reproducibility (2.1 % and 7.6 %) and low LODs (0.4 fg g-1 and 0.2 fg g-1). The relative expanded uncertainties (k = 2) obtained were 17.1 % and 29.0 %, respectively. The overall analytical times for the application of the proposed procedure on the marine sediment and seawater samples were evaluated to be only about 9 h and 6.5 h, respectively. It shows great advantages for its potential applications for emergency monitoring of 241Am contamination in the marine environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Zhang
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4 Quai Antoine 1er, Principality of Monaco, 98000, Monaco; Institute of Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, China.
| | - Emilia Vassileva
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4 Quai Antoine 1er, Principality of Monaco, 98000, Monaco
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Xiong K, Bu W, Ni Y, Liu X, Zheng J, Aono T, Yang C, Hu S. Rapid monitoring of 241Am in small amount of sediment samples by combining extraction chromatography for highly efficient separation of interfering and matrix elements and ICP-MS/MS measurement. Microchem J 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2023.108581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
|
3
|
Philippou M, Pashalidis I, Kalderis D. Removal of 241Am from Aqueous Solutions by Adsorption on Sponge Gourd Biochar. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28062552. [PMID: 36985524 PMCID: PMC10052943 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28062552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Luffa cylindrica biomass was converted to biochar and the removal of 241Am by pristine and oxidized biochar fibers was investigated in laboratory and environmental water samples. This species has the added advantage of a unique microsponge structure that is beneficial for the production of porous adsorbents. The main purpose of this study was to valorize this biomass to produce an efficient adsorbent and investigate its performance in radionuclide-contaminated waters. Following the preparation of Am3+ solutions at a concentration of 10−12 mol/L, the adsorption efficiency (Kd) was determined as a function of pH, adsorbent mass, ionic strength, temperature, and type of aqueous solution by batch experiments. At the optimum adsorbent dose of 0.1 g and pH value of 4, a log10Kd value of 4.2 was achieved by the oxidized biochar sample. The effect of temperature and ionic strength indicated that adsorption is an endothermic and entropy-driven process (ΔH° = −512 kJ mol−1 and ΔS° = −1.2 J K−1 mol−1) leading to the formation of inner-sphere complexes. The adsorption kinetics were relatively slow (24 h equilibrium time) due to the slow diffusion of the radionuclide to the biochar surface and fitted well to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Oxidized biochar performed better compared to the unmodified sample and overall appears to be an efficient adsorbent for the treatment of 241Am-contaminated waters, even at ultra-trace concentrations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Philippou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
| | - Ioannis Pashalidis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
- Correspondence: (I.P.); (D.K.)
| | - Dimitrios Kalderis
- Laboratory of Environmental Technologies and Applications, Department of Electronic Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 73100 Chania, Greece
- Correspondence: (I.P.); (D.K.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhang H, Hou X, Qiao J, Lin J. Determination of 241Am in Environmental Samples: A Review. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27144536. [PMID: 35889408 PMCID: PMC9315525 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The determination of 241Am in the environment is of importance in monitoring its release and assessing its environmental impact and radiological risk. This paper aims to give an overview about the recent developments and the state-of-art analytical methods for 241Am determination in environmental samples. Thorough discussions are given in this paper covering a wide range of aspects, including sample pre-treatment and pre-concentration methods, chemical separation techniques, source preparation, radiometric and mass spectrometric measurement techniques, speciation analyses, and tracer applications. The paper focuses on some hyphenated separation methods based on different chromatographic resins, which have been developed to achieve high analytical efficiency and sample throughput for the determination of 241Am. The performances of different radiometric and mass spectrometric measurement techniques for 241Am are evaluated and compared. Tracer applications of 241Am in the environment, including speciation analyses of 241Am, and applications in nuclear forensics are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haitao Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024, China; (H.Z.); (J.L.)
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Risø Campus, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark;
| | - Jixin Qiao
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Risø Campus, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark;
- Correspondence:
| | - Jianfeng Lin
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024, China; (H.Z.); (J.L.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wang Y, Fan J, Zhai X, Li Z, Yu Q, Zhang W, Liu Z. An efficient method for the removal of Pb prior to the ultra-trace Am measurement by ICP-MS. RADIOCHIM ACTA 2022. [DOI: 10.1515/ract-2022-0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The existence of Pb which formed polyatomic ions such as PbCl+, PbAr+ would interfere the determination of ultra-trace Am by ICP-MS. An extraction chromatography method for the removal of Pb interference was provided in this work to improve the determination accuracy of ultra-trace Am by ICP-MS. In this study, Sr resin was applied to separate Am and Pb because of the great difference between Am and Pb on adsorption ability. The variable parameters including nitric acid concentration, loading volume, column height and loading amount were investigated to optimize the separation conditions for high recovery of Am (R(Am)) as well as high decontamination factor of Pb (DF(Pb)). The optimal separation method was recommended in the study with the recovery of Am over 99% and the decontamination factor of Pb over 2 × 105. Moreover, the method was successfully applied to the analysis of 241Am in the simulated samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yufeng Wang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology , Xi’an , Shaanxi , 710024 , China
| | - Jinlong Fan
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology , Xi’an , Shaanxi , 710024 , China
| | - Xiufang Zhai
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology , Xi’an , Shaanxi , 710024 , China
| | - Zhiming Li
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology , Xi’an , Shaanxi , 710024 , China
| | - Qingjiang Yu
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology , Xi’an , Shaanxi , 710024 , China
| | - Weichao Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology , Xi’an , Shaanxi , 710024 , China
| | - Zhichao Liu
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology , Xi’an , Shaanxi , 710024 , China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang Z, Dong X, Yan Q, Chen J, Xu C. Separation of Americium from Curium through Oxidation State Control with Record Efficiency. Anal Chem 2022; 94:7743-7746. [PMID: 35608454 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Separation of americium (Am) from curium (Cm) could greatly facilitate the development of advanced nuclear fuel cycles, help with accurate nuclear forensic analysis, and allow for more efficient recovery and utilization of the two strategic elements. In this work, an Am/Cm separation strategy based on the stabilization of pentavalent Am in a biphasic solvent extraction system using bismuthate as the oxidant and N,N,N',N'-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA) as the extractant was developed. The distinctive differences between Am(V) and Cm(III) in terms of both steric configuration and charge density afford record high Cm/Am separation factors (>104) through only one single contact in solvent extraction. This separation strategy possesses superior features including fast kinetics, long-time stability, no secondary solid radioactive waste generation, and applicability over a wide range of HNO3 acidities, making it promising for Am/Cm separation and analysis in a variety of applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Wang
- Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Xue Dong
- Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Qiang Yan
- Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Jing Chen
- Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Chao Xu
- Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Quemet A, Buravand E, Peres JG, Dalier V, Bejaoui S. Irradiated UAmO2 transmutation discs analyses: from dissolution to isotopic analyses. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-08156-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
8
|
Jakopič R, Fankhauser A, Aregbe Y, Richter S, Crozet M, Maillard C, Rivier C, Roudil D, Marouli M, Tzika F, Altzitzoglou T, Pommé S. 243Am certified reference material for mass spectrometry. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-020-07521-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe Joint Research Centre, in cooperation with the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, produced a novel 243Am spike reference material for mass spectrometry. Americium solution with an isotopic composition of 88% 243Am and 12% 241Am was used as the source for the preparation of the spike material. The certified value of 5.696 (11) nmol g−1 for the amount content of 243Am and 0.136138 (54) for the n(241Am)/n(243Am) amount ratio were assigned. The assigned values from mass spectrometry were confirmed by alpha-particle spectrometry, alpha-particle counting at a defined solid angle, and high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. Furthermore, an external validation of the certified values was obtained from the results of an interlaboratory comparison exercise, using this americium reference solution as the test sample.
Collapse
|
9
|
George K, Muller J, Berthon L, Berthon C, Guillaumont D, Vitorica-Yrezabal IJ, Stafford HV, Natrajan LS, Tamain C. Exploring the Coordination of Plutonium and Mixed Plutonyl-Uranyl Complexes of Imidodiphosphinates. Inorg Chem 2019; 58:6904-6917. [PMID: 31025862 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b00346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The coordination chemistry of plutonium(IV) and plutonium(VI) with the complexing agents tetraphenyl and tetra-isopropyl imidodiphosphinate (TPIP- and TIPIP-) is reported. Treatment of sodium tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate (NaTPIP) and its related counterpart with peripheral isopropyl groups (NaTIPIP) with [NBu4]2[PuIV(NO3)6] yields the respective PuIV complexes [Pu(TPIP)3(NO3)] and [Pu(TIPIP)2(NO3)2] + [PuIV(TIPIP)3(NO3)]. Similarly, the reactions of NaTPIP and NaTIPIP with a Pu(VI) nitrate solution lead to the formation of [PuO2(HTIPIP)2(H2O)][NO3]2, which incorporates a protonated bidentate TIPIP- ligand, and [PuO2(TPIP)(HTPIP)(NO3)], where the protonated HTPIP ligand is bound in a monodentate fashion. Finally, a mixed U(VI)/Pu(VI) compound, [(UO2/PuO2)(TPIP)(HTPIP)(NO3)], is reported. All these actinyl complexes remain in the +VI oxidation state in solution over several weeks. The resultant complexes have been characterized using a combination of X-ray structural studies, NMR, optical, vibrational spectroscopies, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The influence of the R-group (R = phenyl or iPr) on the nature of the complex is discussed with the help of DFT studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn George
- The Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , United Kingdom
| | - Julie Muller
- Nuclear Energy Division, RadioChemistry & Processes Department , CEA , Bagnols-sur-Cèze F-30207 , France
| | - Laurence Berthon
- Nuclear Energy Division, RadioChemistry & Processes Department , CEA , Bagnols-sur-Cèze F-30207 , France
| | - Claude Berthon
- Nuclear Energy Division, RadioChemistry & Processes Department , CEA , Bagnols-sur-Cèze F-30207 , France
| | - Dominique Guillaumont
- Nuclear Energy Division, RadioChemistry & Processes Department , CEA , Bagnols-sur-Cèze F-30207 , France
| | - Iñigo J Vitorica-Yrezabal
- The Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , United Kingdom
| | - H Victoria Stafford
- The Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , United Kingdom
| | - Louise S Natrajan
- The Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , United Kingdom
| | - Christelle Tamain
- Nuclear Energy Division, RadioChemistry & Processes Department , CEA , Bagnols-sur-Cèze F-30207 , France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Contribution of an interlaboratory comparison to the certification of the STAM/IRMM-0243 243Am reference material. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-018-06404-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
11
|
Extraction behaviors of interfering elements on TRU and DGA resins for 241Am determination by mass spectrometry. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-017-5196-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|