Possibilities of mutual separation of americium and curium

Separation of americium from curium is an important step in reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in order to decrease the radiotoxicity of high-level waste. This can be achieved by means of processes using selective oxidation of americium followed by liquid-liquid extraction or precipitation. Another possibility, usually carried-out without oxidation, is represented by chromatography. Some of the possibilities of americium and curium separation are described and summarised. It is concluded that none of the processes proposed has been brought up to the industrial scale. (author)