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Gujar RB, Kanekar AS, Bhattacharyya A, Karthikeyan NS, Ravichandran C, Toleti SR, Egberink RJM, Huskens J, Verboom W, Mohapatra PK. Remarkable Improvement in Am 3+ and Cm 3+ Separation Using a Cooperative Counter Selectivity Strategy by a Combination of Branched Diglycolamides and Hydrophilic Polyaza-heterocycles. Inorg Chem 2024. [PMID: 38861395 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c01081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Separation of Am3+ and Cm3+ is one of the most challenging problems in the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle. In the present work, we exploited the cooperative effect of the opposite selectivity of hydrophobic branched DGA derivatives and hydrophobic N-donor heterocyclic ligands taken in two different phases to achieve improved separation behavior. A systematic study was performed using a series of DGA derivatives to understand the effect and the position of branching in the alkyl chains on the separation behavior of Am3+ and Cm3+. A separation factor (S.F.) value as high as 10 for Cm3+ over Am3+ was obtained in the case of TiBDGA (N,N,N',N'-tetra-iso-butyl diglycolamide) using SO3PhBTPhen ((phenanthroline-2,9-diyl)-1,2,4-triazine-5,5,6,6-tetrayltetrabenzenesulfonic acid) as the aqueous complexant, which is the highest reported value so far for the ligand-based separation of Am3+ and Cm3+ without involving any oxidation or reduction step. The high selectivity favoring Cm3+ ion extraction in the case of this DGA derivative is also explained with the help of computational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajesh B Gujar
- Radiochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India
| | - Avinash S Kanekar
- Radiochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India
| | | | | | | | - Subba Rao Toleti
- School of Arts and Sciences, Sai University, Chennai 603104, India
| | - Richard J M Egberink
- Molecular Nanofabrication Group, MESA+ Institute of Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Jurriaan Huskens
- Molecular Nanofabrication Group, MESA+ Institute of Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Willem Verboom
- Molecular Nanofabrication Group, MESA+ Institute of Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
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Wang Y, Shield KM, Abergel RJ. Hydrophilic Chelators for Aqueous Reprocessing of Spent Nuclear Fuel. SEPARATION & PURIFICATION REVIEWS 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/15422119.2023.2182220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yufei Wang
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Katherine M. Shield
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Rebecca J. Abergel
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
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3
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Wilden A, Schneider D, Paparigas Z, Henkes M, Kreft F, Geist A, Mossini E, Macerata E, Mariani M, Gullo MC, Casnati A, Modolo G. Selective actinide(III) separation using 2,6-bis[1-(propan-1-ol)-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]pyridine (PyTri-Diol) in the innovative-SANEX process: laboratory scale counter current centrifugal contactor demonstration. RADIOCHIM ACTA 2022. [DOI: 10.1515/ract-2022-0014] [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
An innovative-SANEX process for the selective separation of the trivalent actinides americium and curium from a simulated PUREX raffinate solution was successfully demonstrated on the laboratory scale using a 16-stage 1 cm annular centrifugal contactor setup. The solvent was composed of 0.2 mol L−1
N,N,N′,N′-tetra-n-octyl-diglycolamide (TODGA) and 5% v/v 1-octanol in a kerosene diluent. Zr(IV) and Pd(II) co-extraction was prevented using trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (CDTA) as a masking agent in the feed. The actinide(III) selective back-extraction was achieved using 2,6-bis[1-(propan-1-ol)-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]pyridine (PyTri-Diol) in 0.45 mol L−1 HNO3 as a CHON alternative to the sulfur-containing stripping agent used in a previous version of the innovative-SANEX process. The new process described in this paper showed excellent performance for the recovery of An(III). An An(III) product with a quasi-quantitative recovery of americium and curium (≥99.9%) and very good separation from fission and activation products was obtained (decontamination factors ≥4000). Only a slight contamination with Zr and Ru was observed. This test demonstrates the successful use of molecules containing only carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms (so-called CHON molecules) for the selective separation of An(III) from a simulated PUREX raffinate solution. By avoiding sulfur- or phosphorous-containing molecules, the generation of secondary radioactive waste during process operation can be reduced drastically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Wilden
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie – und Klimaforschung – Nukleare Entsorgung und Reaktorsicherheit (IEK-6) , 52428 Jülich , Germany
| | - Dimitri Schneider
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie – und Klimaforschung – Nukleare Entsorgung und Reaktorsicherheit (IEK-6) , 52428 Jülich , Germany
| | - Zaina Paparigas
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie – und Klimaforschung – Nukleare Entsorgung und Reaktorsicherheit (IEK-6) , 52428 Jülich , Germany
| | - Maximilian Henkes
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie – und Klimaforschung – Nukleare Entsorgung und Reaktorsicherheit (IEK-6) , 52428 Jülich , Germany
| | - Fabian Kreft
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie – und Klimaforschung – Nukleare Entsorgung und Reaktorsicherheit (IEK-6) , 52428 Jülich , Germany
| | - Andreas Geist
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE) , 76021 Karlsruhe , Germany
| | - Eros Mossini
- Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano , 20133 Milano , Italy
| | - Elena Macerata
- Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano , 20133 Milano , Italy
| | - Mario Mariani
- Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano , 20133 Milano , Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Gullo
- Department of Chemistry , Università di Parma, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability , 43124 Parma , Italy
| | - Alessandro Casnati
- Department of Chemistry , Università di Parma, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability , 43124 Parma , Italy
| | - Giuseppe Modolo
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie – und Klimaforschung – Nukleare Entsorgung und Reaktorsicherheit (IEK-6) , 52428 Jülich , Germany
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Mattocks JA, Cotruvo JA, Deblonde GJP. Engineering lanmodulin's selectivity for actinides over lanthanides by controlling solvent coordination and second-sphere interactions. Chem Sci 2022; 13:6054-6066. [PMID: 35685815 PMCID: PMC9132084 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc01261h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing chelators that combine high affinity and selectivity for lanthanides and/or actinides is paramount for numerous industries, including rare earths mining, nuclear waste management, and cancer medicine. In particular, achieving selectivity between actinides and lanthanides is notoriously difficult. The protein lanmodulin (LanM) is one of Nature's most selective chelators for trivalent actinides and lanthanides. However, mechanistic understanding of LanM's affinity and selectivity for f-elements remains limited. In order to decipher, and possibly improve, the features of LanM's metal-binding sites that contribute to this actinide/lanthanide selectivity, we characterized five LanM variants, substituting the aspartate residue at the 9th position of each metal-binding site with asparagine, histidine, alanine, methionine, and selenomethionine. Spectroscopic measurements with lanthanides (Nd3+ and Eu3+) and actinides (243Am3+ and 248Cm3+) reveal that, contrary to the behavior of small chelator complexes, metal-coordinated water molecules enhance LanM's affinity for f-elements and pH-stability of its complexes. Furthermore, the results show that the native aspartate does not coordinate the metal directly but rather hydrogen bonds to coordinated solvent. By tuning this first-sphere/second-sphere interaction, the asparagine variant nearly doubles LanM's selectivity for actinides versus lanthanides. This study not only clarifies the essential role of coordinated solvent for LanM's physiological function and separation applications, but it also demonstrates that LanM's preference for actinides over lanthanides can be further improved. More broadly, it demonstrates how biomolecular scaffolds possess an expanded repertoire of tunable interactions compared to most small-molecule ligands – providing an avenue for high-performance LanM-based actinide/lanthanide separation methods and bio-engineered chelators optimized for specific medical isotopes. Nature’s most potent protein for f-elements, lanmodulin, relies on subtle first-sphere/second-sphere interactions to bind metal ions. Dissecting lanmodulin’s binding mechanism yielded variants with enhanced actinide/lanthanide selectivity.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Mattocks
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Joseph A. Cotruvo
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Gauthier J.-P. Deblonde
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
- Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
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Kimberlin A, Saint-Louis G, Guillaumont D, Camès B, Guilbaud P, Berthon L. Effect of Metal Complexation on Diglycolamides Radiolysis: A Comparison between Ex-Situ Gamma and In-Situ Alpha Irradiation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:9213-9228. [DOI: 10.1039/d1cp05731f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Radiolytic degradation is an important aspect to consider when developping a ligand or a complexant for radionucleides. Diglycolamide extractants (DGAs) have been playing an important role in many partition processes...
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Singer H, Drobot B, Zeymer C, Steudtner R, Daumann LJ. Americium preferred: lanmodulin, a natural lanthanide-binding protein favors an actinide over lanthanides. Chem Sci 2021; 12:15581-15587. [PMID: 35003587 PMCID: PMC8654097 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc04827a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The separation and recycling of lanthanides is an active area of research with a growing demand that calls for more environmentally friendly lanthanide sources. Likewise, the efficient and industrial separation of lanthanides from the minor actinides (Np, Am–Fm) is one of the key questions for closing the nuclear fuel cycle; reducing costs and increasing safety. With the advent of the field of lanthanide-dependent bacterial metabolism, bio-inspired applications are in reach. Here, we utilize the natural lanthanide chelator lanmodulin and the luminescent probes Eu3+ and Cm3+ to investigate the inter-metal competition behavior of all lanthanides (except Pm) and the major actinide plutonium as well as three minor actinides neptunium, americium and curium to lanmodulin. Using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy we show that lanmodulin has the highest relative binding affinity to Nd3+ and Eu3+ among the lanthanide series. When equimolar mixtures of Cm3+ and Am3+ are added to lanmodulin, lanmodulin preferentially binds to Am3+ over Cm3+ whilst Nd3+ and Cm3+ bind with similar relative affinity. The results presented show that a natural lanthanide-binding protein can bind a major and various minor actinides with high relative affinity, paving the way to bio-inspired separation applications. In addition, an easy and versatile method was developed, using the fluorescence properties of only two elements, Eu and Cm, for inter-metal competition studies regarding lanthanides and selected actinides and their binding to biological molecules. In need of environmentally friendly methods for the separation and recycling of lanthanides and actinides, the binding of the protein lanmodulin to lanthanides and actinides was studied using time resolved laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Singer
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich Butenandtstraße 5 - 13 81377 München Germany
| | - Björn Drobot
- Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. Bautzner Landstraße 400 01328 Dresden Germany
| | - Cathleen Zeymer
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität München Lichtenbergstraße 4 85748 Garching Germany
| | - Robin Steudtner
- Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. Bautzner Landstraße 400 01328 Dresden Germany
| | - Lena J Daumann
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich Butenandtstraße 5 - 13 81377 München Germany
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Pandey A, Hashmi S, Salunkhe G, Kathirvelu V, Singh KS, Singh Chauhan R, Sengupta A. Tuning the extraction mechanism of uranyl ion in bicyclooctanium, propylpyridinium, piperidinium and imidazolium based ionic liquids: First ever evidence of 'cation exchange', 'anion exchange' and 'solvation' mechanism. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.116435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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8
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Kooyman T. Current state of partitioning and transmutation studies for advanced nuclear fuel cycles. ANN NUCL ENERGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2021.108239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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9
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Geist A, Panak PJ. Recent Progress in Trivalent Actinide and Lanthanide Solvent Extraction and Coordination Chemistry with Triazinylpyridine N Donor Ligands. SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND ION EXCHANGE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/07366299.2020.1831235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Geist
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Petra J. Panak
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe, Germany
- Physikalisch Chemisches Institut (PCI), Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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10
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Fan J, Duan L, Wang Y, Huang P. Assembly of a polymer-based extraction resin and separation of minor actinides. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.125473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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11
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Matveev P, Mohapatra PK, Kalmykov SN, Petrov V. Solvent extraction systems for mutual separation of Am(III) and Cm(III) from nitric acid solutions. A review of recent state-of-the-art. SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND ION EXCHANGE 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/07366299.2020.1856998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petr Matveev
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Stepan N. Kalmykov
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir Petrov
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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Countercurrent Actinide Lanthanide Separation Process (ALSEP) Demonstration Test with a Simulated PUREX Raffinate in Centrifugal Contactors on the Laboratory Scale. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/app10207217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
An Actinide Lanthanide Separation Process (ALSEP) for the separation of trivalent actinides (An(III)) from simulated raffinate solution was successfully demonstrated using a 32-stage 1 cm annular centrifugal contactor setup. The ALSEP solvent was composed of a mixture of 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (HEH[EHP]) and N,N,N′,N′-tetra-(2-ethylhexyl)-diglycolamide (T2EHDGA) in n-dodecane. Flowsheet calculations and evaluation of the results were done using the Argonne’s Model for Universal Solvent Extraction (AMUSE) code using single-stage distribution data. The co-extraction of Zr(IV) and Pd(II) was prevented using CDTA (trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid) as a masking agent in the feed. For the scrubbing of co-extracted Mo; citrate-buffered acetohydroxamic acid was used. The separation of An(III) from the trivalent lanthanides (Ln(III)) was achieved using citrate-buffered diethylene-triamine-N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentaacetic acid (DTPA), and Ln(III) were efficiently back extracted using N,N,N′,N′-tetraethyl-diglycolamide (TEDGA). A clean An(III) product was obtained with a recovery of 95% americium and curium. The Ln(III) were efficiently stripped; but the Ln(III) product contained 5% of the co-stripped An(III). The carryover of Am and Cm into the Ln(III) product is attributed to too few actinide stripping stages, which was constrained by the number of centrifugal contactors available. Improved separation would be achieved by increasing the number of An strip stages. The heavier lanthanides (Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Gd) and yttrium were mainly routed to the Ln product, whereas the lighter lanthanides (La and Ce) were mostly routed to the raffinate.
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Kharitonov OV, Firsova LA, Kozlitin EA. All-chromatographic method for the recovery of Americium-241 from solutions of complex composition. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-020-07336-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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14
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Miguirditchian M, Vanel V, Marie C, Pacary V, Charbonnel MC, Berthon L, Hérès X, Montuir M, Sorel C, Bollesteros MJ, Costenoble S, Rostaing C, Masson M, Poinssot C. Americium Recovery from Highly Active PUREX Raffinate by Solvent Extraction: The EXAm Process. A Review of 10 Years of R&D. SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND ION EXCHANGE 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/07366299.2020.1753922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Vincent Vanel
- CEA, DES, ISEC, DMRC, University Montpellier, Marcoule, France
| | - Cécile Marie
- CEA, DES, ISEC, DMRC, University Montpellier, Marcoule, France
| | - Vincent Pacary
- CEA, DES, ISEC, DMRC, University Montpellier, Marcoule, France
| | | | | | - Xavier Hérès
- CEA, DES, ISEC, DMRC, University Montpellier, Marcoule, France
| | - Marc Montuir
- CEA, DES, ISEC, DMRC, University Montpellier, Marcoule, France
| | - Christian Sorel
- CEA, DES, ISEC, DMRC, University Montpellier, Marcoule, France
| | | | | | | | - Michel Masson
- CEA, DES, ISEC, DMRC, University Montpellier, Marcoule, France
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