Determination of activity concentrations and activity ratios of plutonium, americium and curium isotopes in radioactive waste samples

Highly efficient separation of Am(III) and Pu(IV) from lean feeds and soil using an extraction chromatographic resin containing a diglycolamide in an ionic liquid

A TODGA based extraction chromatographic resin containing an ionic liquid was used for the separation of actinide ions such as Am3+ and Pu4+ from samples such as lean effluents emanating from laboratory waste, environmental water as well as soil samples adjacent to a nuclear plant site. The methodology involved feed adjustment to 3 M HNO3 followed by conditioning of the column, loading, washing (3 M HNO3), and elution of the actinide ions. The elution of Am3+ was done using EDTA in a buffered medium (1 M guanidine carbonate) while that of Pu4+ was carried out using a mixture of 0.5 M oxalic acid and 0.5 M HNO3. The elution peaks were sharp with almost no tailing suggesting the efficiency of the separation method. The results obtained were compared with the literature results which suggested the high efficiency of the present method.

Determination of 241Am in Environmental Samples: A Review

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.

Progress of energy-related radiochemistry and radionuclide production in the Republic of Korea

The field of radiochemistry in the Republic of Korea has expanded greatly over the last three decades to meet the rapid growth of technological demands in various areas such as nuclear energy and nuclear technologies for human health and environmental protection. Major research activities, which were initially centered at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), have gradually spread to major universities and the commercial sector. In this review, progress and recent research trends in nuclear and radiochemistry in Korea are summarized. The main research outcomes achieved by KAERI scientists are highlighted, with emphasis on basic actinide chemistry in nuclear fuel cycles, the radioanalytical chemistry of various radionuclides from radioactive waste and the environment, and medical radionuclide production. In addition, recent efforts to promote radiochemical education and future perspectives are briefly outlined.

Chromatographic separation of Am and Cm

This paper describes the development of a radioanalytical procedure to separate Am3+ and Cm3+ that relies on chromatography with the TRU® resin available from Eichrom Technologies, Inc. Although the TRU chromatographic materials are not currently recommended for the separation of the trivalent actinides from each other, our work demonstrates their suitability. We explored parameters such as nitric acid concentration, column length, and flow rate; standard chromatographic parameters such as resolution, theoretical plates, and total separation time are reported for each variable. The advantages of the method described herein include use of a commercially available product and no application of an organic solvent during elution. Optimal resolution between the Am3+ and Cm3+ was achieved with the slowest flow rate.