Development of advanced reprocessing system using high selective and controllable precipitants, 8; Co-precipitation behavior of U-Pu by novel precipitants with high hydrophobicity

Morita, Yasuji  ; Kim, S.-Y.; Kawata, Yoshihisa; Sato, Makoto; Ikeda, Yasuhisa*; Takao, Koichiro*; Noda, Kyoko*; Nishimura, Kenji*

Precipitation behavior of Pu with pyrrolidone derivatives of N-(1,2-dimethyl)propyl-2-pyrrolidone (NDMProP) and N-neopenthyl-2-pyrrolidone (NNpP) in the solutions of U-Pu mixture has been examined in order to evaluate their applicability to the U-Pu co-precipitation process in the reprocessing based only on precipitation method. We have previously developed a process with N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone (NCP). It was found that U(VI) was precipitated in a high yield with any of the three precipitants and the precipitation yield of Pu(IV) was increased with the added amount of the precipitants. When NNpP was added with the ratio of [NNpP]/[U+Pu]=2.5, 99.5% of Pu was precipitate. Since NNpP showed the highest precipitation ability for Pu(IV) and the best physical property as precipitate, NNpP would be the most appropriate precipitant for the U-Pu co-precipitation process.