Evaluation of anion exchange resins for plutonium-uranium separations in nitric acid

Pellicular, macroreticular and microreticular (gel type) anion exchange resins were compared for separation of plutonium from nitric acid solutions of mixed plutonium-uranium. All the macroreticular resins were 20 to 50 mesh beads. Dowex 1-X4 gel resin was 50 to 80 mesh beads. The resins were held in glass columns with coarse glass frits at the bottom of the columns. The top of the columns contained 50 ml reservoirs. The flow rates were controlled at 4 cm3.min-1.cm-2. One-centimeter bore columns with 15-cm resin bed heights were used for the plutonium elution and breakthrough capacity experiments, whereas 1.7 cm bore columns with 20 cm bed heights were used for the uranium washing experiments. As Pellionex SAX (pellicular resin) and Amberlite IRA-93 (weak base macroreticular anion exchange resin) were found to have better uranium washing and plutonium eluating characteristics than any of the resins tested. However, the capacity of the pellicular resin was much lower than that of the other resins. (T.G.)