Separation of Rh(III) and direct electrodeposition in phosphonium-based ionic liquids with electrochemical and spectroscopic analyses for extracted Rh(III) complex

Tokumitsu, Shun*; Matsumiya, Masahiko*; Sasaki, Yuji

Separation and Purification Technology, 382(Part 2), p.135631_1 - 135631_9, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.135631

Separation test of heat generating nuclides from high-level liquid waste

Hotoku, Shinobu; Ban, Yasutoshi; Konda, Miki; Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro

JAEA-Technology 2025-009, 33 Pages, 2025/11

JAEA-Technology-2025-009.pdf:1.9MB

High-level liquid waste (HLLW) produced from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels contains heat generating nuclides such as Sr-90, Y-90, Cs-137, Ba-137m, and Am-241. Separation and recovery of these nuclides lead to reduce the volume and toxicity of high-level waste. Furthermore, the recovered nuclides and elements could be utilized as resources after purification. In this test, Sr separation by extraction chromatography using Sr resin and Pb resin, Cs separation by co-precipitation using ammonium phosphomolybdate (AMP), and Am separation by solvent extraction using alkyl diamideamine (ADAAM) were carried out, cold tests were performed for the separation of Cs and Sr in a nitric acid solution. Based on the results, hot tests were performed using dissolution solutions of spent fuel at the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Safety Engineering Research Facility (NUCEF), and each component contained in the separated solution was analyzed. In the Sr separation by extraction chromatography, most of Sr was separated from other elements using 8 mol/L nitric acid for absorption and 0.02 mol/L nitric acid for elution. In the separation of Cs, more than 99.9% of Cs was selectively co-precipitated by adding AMP to the HLLW, in which nitric acid concentration was adjusted to 3.1 mol/L. In solvent extraction of Am by ADAAM, 81.4% of Am-241 was recovered by a single stage batch experiment. Since Sr, Cs, and Am were properly separated and recovered from HLLW, the effectiveness of the present separation method was successfully demonstrated.

A Basic study for radioactive nuclides recovery from spent PUREX solvent using adsorbents

Arai, Tsuyoshi*; Nakamura, Fumiya*; Abe, Ryoji*; Ueno, Fuga*; Seko, Noriaki*; Arai, Yoichi; Watanabe, So

Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology (Internet), 7, p.147 - 153, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.15669/pnst.7.147

no abstracts in English

Post-earthquake rapid resealing of bedrock flow-paths by concretion-forming resin

Yoshida, Hidekazu*; Yamamoto, Koshi*; Asahara, Yoshihiro*; Maruyama, Ippei*; Karukaya, Koichi*; Saito, Akane*; Matsui, Hiroya; Mochizuki, Akihito; Jo, Mayumi*; Katsuta, Nagayoshi*; et al.

Communications Engineering (Internet), 3, p.67_1 - 67_10, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-024-00216-1

A capability to permanently seal fluid flow-paths through bedrock, like boreholes or underground tunnels, is needed to ensure the long-term safety and effectiveness of many underground activities e.g. CO storage, hydrocarbon field abandonment, and nuclear waste disposal. Commonly used cementitious seals may not be sufficiently durable due to chemical and physical degradation. Learning from natural calcite (CaCO) concretion formation, a more durable sealing method was developed using a "concretion-forming solvent". The method was tested by sealing flow-paths next to a tunnel in an underground research laboratory at 350 meters depth. The flow-paths initially sealed rapidly, then resealed after disturbance by earthquakes (M5.4). The treated rock recovered its very low natural permeability, demonstrating permanent sealing that is robust.

Rapid and long-lasting bedrock flow-path sealing by a "concretion-forming resin"; Results from evaluation tests in an Underground Research Laboratory, Horonobe, Japan

Yoshida, Hidekazu*; Yamamoto, Koshi*; Asahara, Yoshihiro*; Maruyama, Ippei*; Karukaya, Koichi*; Saito, Akane*; Matsui, Hiroya; Mochizuki, Akihito; Katsuta, Nagayoshi*; Metcalfe, R.*

Powering the Energy Transition through Subsurface Collaboration; Proceedings of the 1st Energy Geoscience Conference (Energy Geoscience Conference Series, 1), 20 Pages, 2024/00

https://doi.org/10.1144/egc1-2023-35

A capability to permanently seal fluid flow-paths in bedrock, such as natural faults/fractures, and damaged zones around boreholes/excavations, is needed to ensure the long-term safety and effectiveness of many underground activities. Cementitious materials are commonly used as seals, however these materials unavoidably undergo physical and chemical degradation, therefore potentially decreasing seal durability. In order to solve these problems, a more durable sealing method using concretion-forming resin has been developed by learning from natural calcite (CaCO) concretion formation. The sealing capability of resin was tested by experiments on bedrock flow-paths in an underground research laboratory (URL), Hokkaido, Japan. The results showed a decrease the permeability rapidly down to 1/1,000 of the initial permeability due to calcite precipitation over a period of one year. During the experiment inland earthquakes occurred with foci below the URL (depths 2-7 km and maximum magnitude 5.4). Due to the earthquakes the hydraulic conductivities of the flow-paths sealed initially by concretion-forming resin increased. However, these flow-paths subsequently resealed rapidly, and within a few months recovered the same hydraulic conductivities as before the earthquakes. This new technique for rapidly producing long-lasting seals against fluid flow through rocks will be applicable to many kinds of underground activities.

Evaluation of the remaining spent extraction solvent in vermiculite after leaching tests via PIXE analysis

Arai, Yoichi; Watanabe, So; Hasegawa, Kenta; Okamura, Nobuo; Watanabe, Masayuki; Takeda, Keisuke*; Fukumoto, Hiroki*; Ago, Tomohiro*; Hagura, Naoto*; Tsukahara, Takehiko*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 542, p.206 - 213, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2023.07.003

Combining a lipophilic phenanthroline carboxamide and a hydrophilic diglycolamide to increase the separation factors of adjacent light lanthanides

Simonnet, M.; Sasaki, Yuji; Yaita, Tsuyoshi

Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange, 41(7), p.857 - 867, 2023/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/07366299.2023.2248189

Separation of light and middle lanthanides using multistage extraction with diglycolamide extractant

Matsutani, Takafumi; Sasaki, Yuji; Katsuta, Shoichi*

Analytical Sciences, 37(11), p.1603 - 1609, 2021/11

https://doi.org/10.2116/analsci.21P120

We investigated the chemical behavior of lanthanides (Ln) using diglycolamide extractant with multistage extraction. We obtained the breakthrough curves for light and middle Ln. Our study reveals that the metal extraction limit depends on their values and metal concentrations used in the experiments. From the multistage extractions of 15 aqueous phases and 15 organic phases, three curves (extraction curves, back-extraction curves, and separation curves) were obtained by changing the nitric acid concentration. As an example, under a condition of the separation curve experiment (aqueous phase: 0.5 M HNO, organic phase: 0.1 M TDDGA (-tetradecyl-diglycolamide) in -dodecane), a recovery of more than 99% of Sm in the organic phase with less than 1% Nd can be obtained.

Fundamental study on multistage extraction using TDdDGA for separation of lanthanides present in Nd magnets

Sasaki, Yuji; Morita, Keisuke; Matsumiya, Masahiko*; Ono, Ryoma*; Shiroishi, Hidenobu*

JOM, 73(4), p.1037 - 1043, 2021/04

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-021-04586-1

The separation of Dy from Nd is studied from the viewpoint of recycling Dy from Nd magnets. Both metals are lanthanide elements, which means their mutual separation is difficult because of their similar chemical behaviors. All lanthanide elements can be extracted easily by using tetradodecyl-diglycolamide (TDdDGA) extractants, and it has a relatively high separation factor (SF) between Dy and Nd (SF over 10). In the present study, by performing eight extraction steps with the organic phase (0.1M TDdDGA in dodecane), ten steps with an aqueous phase (0.7 M HNO with metals), and six steps with another aqueous phase (0.7 M HNO without metals), approximately 99% Dy was recovered into the organic phase with 1% co-extraction of Nd.

Radiation-induced effects on the extraction properties of hexa--octylnitrilo-triacetamide (HONTA) complexes of americium and europium

Toigawa, Tomohiro; Peterman, D. R.*; Meeker, D. S.*; Grimes, T. S.*; Zalupski, P. R.*; Mezyk, S. P.*; Cook, A. R.*; Yamashita, Shinichi*; Kumagai, Yuta; Matsumura, Tatsuro; et al.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 23(2), p.1343 - 1351, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CP05720G

The candidate An(III)/Ln(III) separation ligand hexa--octylnitrilo-triacetamide (HONTA) was irradiated under envisioned SELECT (Solvent Extraction from Liquid waste using Extractants of CHON-type for Transmutation) process conditions using a solvent test loop in conjunction with cobalt-60 gamma irradiation. We demonstrate that HONTA undergoes exponential decay with increasing gamma dose to produce a range of degradation products which have been identified and quantified by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS techniques. The combination of HONTA destruction and degradation product ingrowth, particularly dioctylamine, negatively impacts the extraction and back-extraction of both americium and europium ions. The loss of HONTA was attributed to its reaction with the solvent (-dodecane) radical cation of (HONTA + R) = (7.61 0.82) 10 M s obtained by pulse radiolysis techniques. However, when this ligand is bound to either americium or europium ions, the observed -dodecane radical cation kinetics increase by over an order of magnitude. This large reactivity increase to additional reaction pathways occurring upon metal-ion binding. Lastly nanosecond time-resolved measurements showed that both direct and indirect HONTA radiolysis yielded the short-lived (100 ns) HONTA radical cation as well as a longer-lived (s) HONTA triplet excited state. These HONTA species are important precursors to the suite of HONTA degradation products observed.