Plutonium removal by ion exchange chromatography

A study for plutonium recovery at trace level from uranium solutions by ion exchange technique is presented. Plutonium retention > 99,5% onto strong anionic resin, AG-X8, from nitric acid solutions and a 92% recovery using 0,4 H NO3 at 600 C as eluent, were obtained. Uranium interference on the plutonium sorption from mixed U-Pu nitrate solutions with low U/Pu ratio (∼ 25) was not verified. However, for high U/Pu ratio solutions (∼ 10000), uranium interferes on the plutonium retention onto resin, decreasing to 59%. Selecting the loaded conditions and using AG-X4 resin, 99% plutonium retention was achieved. The plutonium product is still contaminated with U and other purification cycle is recommended. A scheme for U-Pu first cycle separation is proposed. (author)