Highly efficient separation of actinides using porous polymer sheet with anion-exchange group

Asai, Shiho; Magara, Masaaki; Shinohara, Nobuo; Yamada, Shinsuke*; Nagai, Masanori*; Miyoshi, Kazuyoshi*; Saito, Kyoichi*

no journal, , 

A porous sheet with a diethylamino (DEA) group as anion-exchange group was prepared for achieving rapid separation of U and Pu. The epoxy group containing monomer, glycidyl methacrylate was grafted onto the surface of the porous sheet. The epoxy group of the poly-GMA graft polymer chain was converted into a DEA group. The amount of the DEA group was increased with increasing reaction time and leveled off at 3.4 mol/kg of the sheet. An iron solution as a model metal ion solution was forced to permeate through the pores of the DEA-introduced sheet (DEA sheet) at a permeation rate of 20 mL/min. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of the DEA sheet for Fe ions (FeCl) was calculated as 1.1 mol-Fe/kg-DEA sheet. This value is comparable to or higher than those of conventional anion-exchange resins. U and Pu in the sample solution were separated using the DEA sheet. Trace amounts of U (38.16 pg) and Pu (0.34 pg) were found to be successfully separated with the DEA sheet.