Solvent extraction study of technetium by tri-n-butyl phosphate in room-temperature ionic liquid

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTlLs) shot into prominence due to their negligible vapour pressure, large liquid range, ease of tuning the properties by different combinations of cations and anions etc. and are poised to replace toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the area separation of metal ions by solvent extraction, as effluents for the extractants, they often show unusually high distribution ratios as compared to the normally employed molecular diluents such as dodecane etc. and display multiple extraction mechanisms. 99Tc, one of the long-lived fission products, due to its mobility is of great environmental concern. The proposed UREX process envisages co extraction of U and Tc and separation of them. In this paper, extraction of Tc (Tc present as TcO4) by TBP in a RTlL, 1-octyl-3-methyl imidazolium bis (trifluoro methyl sulphonyl) imide (C8mimN(SO2CF3)2) or C8mimNTf2 is studied and results are presented