Comparison in the extraction properties of Pu(IV) in piperidinium and pyrrolidinium nitrate anchored anion exchange resins

Abstract

Abstract Piperidinium nitrate (Pip − NO3) and pyrrolidinium nitrate (Pyr − NO3) functional groups were anchored on a poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) matrix and evaluated the resultant anion exchange resin for the extraction of plutonium from nitric acid medium. The distribution coefficient (K d, mL/g) of Pu(IV) in these resins increased with the concentration of nitric acid, reaching a maximum K d at 7 M nitric acid, followed by decrease. The extraction of Pu(IV) increased with the duration of equilibration followed by the establishment of equilibrium, occurred within four hours of equilibration. The kinetic data were fitted with pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order rate equations. The apparent plutonium exchange capacity was determined to be ∼256 mg/g for Pip − NO3 resin and 285 mg/g for Pyr − NO3 resin at 7 M nitric acid. The radiolytic degradation of Pip − NO3 and Pyr − NO3 in presence of nitric acid (7 M) was studied upto a dose of 200 KGy and the results are reported in this paper.