METHOD OF EXTRACTING AMERICIUM FROM WASTES Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC C22B60/02 C22B3/20 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: method involves dissolving wastes in concentrated nitric acid, oxalate precipitation from the solution, drying and calcining the americium oxalate to americium dioxide. The solution obtained by dissolving wastes with high concentration of impurity cations, one of which is ferric iron, is mixed with a reducing agent for reducing ferric iron to ferrous iron. After reduction, the solution with acidity by nitric acid of 1-2.5 mol/l is taken for extraction of americium with a solid extractant based on different-radical phosphine oxide, followed by washing and re-extraction of americium. Oxalate precipitation is carried out from the re-extract with americium concentration of not less than 3 g/l and nitric acid concentration of not less than 3 mol/l, said precipitation being carried out in two steps: adding an oxalate ion to the americium-containing solution in weight ratio to americium of (2-7):1 and then adding water to the separated precipitate in volume ratio to the precipitate of (3-8):1 and the oxalate ion in weight ratio to americium of (1-4):1. The obtained reaction mixture is boiled and taken for separation of americium oxalate from the solution.

EFFECT: high output of the product and degree of purity thereof.

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