Separation of Sc from fission products by P204 resin and cation exchange resin

Although P204 provided good selectivity and possibility for Sc separation, complicated stripping was the main difficulty for the application in Sc purification. In the present work, a method for separation of Sc from fission products (FPs) was studied. Firstly, Sc is separated from major fission products by P204 resin because of high extraction rate of Sc. Secondly, P204 resin is destroyed by heating and then Sc could easily be stripped from P204 resin ash by nitric acid. Finally, Sc is separated from Mo and Zr by the cation exchange resin. The procedure is established with a recovery yield of Sc more than 65% and the decontamination factor of Sc over major FPs higher than 10³. The method is simple, stable and suitable for the sample in different acid concentrations and can be used for the separation of Sc from FPs. (authors)