• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.291-299
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• 2001

A method of separation and purification of Sm for quantitation of Sm isotopes from various fission products in PWR spent nuclear fuels has been studied. Simulated solution containing inactive metal ions(Cs, Ba, Gd, Eu, Sm and Nd) in place of radioactive fission products was prepared. Sm was separated with 0.5 M $HNO_3$/80% MeOH after washing with 1 M $HNO_3$/90% MeOH on AG $1{\times}8$, anion exchange resin. Sm was purified on cation exchange resin, AG $50W{\times}8$, pretreated with 0.2 M alpha-hydroxisobutyric acid(pH 4.5-4.6) to remove Ba causing isobaric effect Sm from PWR spent fuel. As a result of mass spectrometric measurement, eluted Sm portion did not include isobars form other elements such as Gd, Eu, Pm, Nd and BaO. The contents of Sm and its isotopes($^{147}Sm$, $^{148}Sm$, $^{149}Sm$, $^{150}Sm$, $^{151}Sm$, $^{152}Sm$ and $^{154}Sm$) in spent fuel were determined by isotope dilution mass spectrometric method spiking $^{154}Sm$.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.515-522
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• 2002

Solid beta-dicalcium silicate hydrate $(\beta-C_2SH)$ synthesized under hydrothermal conditions at $240^{\circ}C$ and Ca/Si=2 molar ratio shows cation exchange properties towards divalent metal cations such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, or Pb. The ability of metal cation uptake by the solid was found to be in the order: $Fe^{2+}$〉$Cu^{2+}$〉$Zn^{2+}$〉$Cd^{2+}$ = $Pb^{2+}$. Cesium selectivity of the solid was demonstrated in the presence of univalent cation such as $Li^+$, $Na^+$ and $K^+$ and divalent cations such as $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$ and $Ba^{2+}$, which are one hundred times more concentrated than the $Cs^+$. The uptake of $Cs^+$ is maximum in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$ whereas it is minimum in the presence of $K^+$. The different affinities of ${\beta}-C_2SH$ towards divalent metal cations can be used for the separation of those ions. Due to its selectivity for cesium it can be used in partitioning of radioactive Cs+ from nuclear wastes containing numerous cations. The mechanism of the metal cation exchange and cesium selectivity reactions by the solid is studied.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 1996

The objective of this investigation is to establish the rejection characteristics of caesium and cobalt from radioactive liquid waste by chemical/ultrafiltration process. An extensive experimental investigation was conducted with inactive caesium and cobalt ions, utilizing ultrafiltration stirred cell. Caesium and cobalt could be effectively removed from waste solution using copper ferrocyanide and polyarcylic acid(PAA). The rejection dependence of the caesium was found to be a function of caesiun to potassium copper ferrocyanide feed molar ratio. The binding behavior of caesium on K$_2$Cu$_3$(Fe(CN)$\sub$6/)$_2$, particles was explained in terms of a Langmuir adsorption isotherm. When Cs/K$_2$Cu$_3$(Fe(CN)$\sub$6/)$_2$molar ratio was 1.5, the removal of caesium was the most efficient. The rejection efficiency of cobalt is dependent upon various parameters such as pH, cobalt concentration and PAA concentration. The rejection behavior of cobalt was explained in term of a equilibrium model taking into account the reaction between the ligand group, the proton and the cobalt ion. At the conditions of PAA/Co ratio of 2 and pH of 5.6, the removal of cobalt was over 90%. Also, the effect of chemical addition sequence for the simultaneously removal of caesiun and cobalt was discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.243-244
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• 2013

Over the past 15 years, several groups have incorporated radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) based instruments before the accelerator in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) systems for ion-gas interactions at low kinetic energy (＜40 eV). Most AMS systems arebased on a tandem accelerator, which requires negative ions at injection. Typically, AMS sensitivity abundance ratios for radioactive-to-stable isotope are limited to Xr/Xs ＞10^-15, and the range of isotopes that can be analyzed is limited because of theneed to produce rather large negative ion beams and the presence of atomic isobaric interferences after stripping. The potential of using low-kinetic energy ion-gas interactions for isobar suppression before the accelerator has been demonstrated for several negative ion isobar systems with a prototype RFQ system incorporated into the AMS system at IsoTrace Laboratory, Canada (Ontario, Toronto). Requisite for any such RFQ system applied to very rare isotope analysis is large transmission of the analyte ion. This requires proper phase-space matching between the RFQ acceptance and the ion beam phase space (e.g. 35 keV, ${\varphi}3mm$, +-35 mrad), and the ability to control the average ion energy during interactions with the gas. A segmented RFQ instrument is currently being designed at Korea Institute for Science and Technology (한국과학기술연구원, KIST). It will consist of: a) an initial static voltage electrode deceleration region, to lower the ion energy from 35 keV down to ＜40 eV at injection into the first RFQ segment; b) the segmented quadrupole ion-gas interaction region; c) a static voltage electrode re-acceleration region for ion injection into a tandem accelerator. Design considerations and modeling will be discussed. This system should greatly lower the detection limits of the 6 MV AMS system currently being commissioned at KIST. As an example, current detection sensitivity of 41Ca/Ca is limited to the order of 10^-15 while the 41Ca/Ca abundance in modern samples is typically 41Ca/Ca~10^-14 - 10^-15. The major atomic isobaric interference in AMS is 41K. Proof-of-principal work at IsoTrace Lab. has demonstrated that a properly designed system can achieve a relative suppression of KF3-/41CaF3- ＞4 orders of magnitude while maintaining very high transmission of the 41CaF3- ion. This would lower the 41Ca detection limits of the KIST AMS system to at least 41Ca/Ca~10^-19. As Ca is found in bones and shells, this would potentially allow direct dating of valuable anthropological archives and archives relevant to our understanding of the most pronounced climate change events over the past million years that cannot be directly dated with the presently accessible isotopes.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.63-71
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• 2011

A large volume of uranium electrokinetic leachate has been generated during the electrokinetic decontamination to remove uranium from contaminated soil. The treatment technology for the reuse of the uranium leachate was developed. The concentration of uranium in the generated uranium leachate was 180 ppm and concentrations of Mg(II), K(I), Fe(II), and Al(III) ions ranged from 20 ppm to 1,210 ppm. The treatment process for uranium leachate consisted mainly of mixing and cohesion, precipitation, concentration, and filtration. In order to obtain the pH=11 of a precipitate solution, the calcium hydroxide needs to be 3.0g/100ml and the sodium hydroxide needed to be 2.7g/100ml. The results of several precipitation experiments showed that a mixture of NaOH+0.2g alum+0.15g magnetite was an optimal precipitant for filtration. The average particle size of precipitate with NaOH+alum+0.15g magnetite was $600\;{\mu}m$. Because the total value of metal concentrations in supernatant at pH=9 was the smallest, sodium hydroxide should be added with 0.2g alum and 0.15g magnetite for pH=9 of leachate.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.397-410
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• 2018

When considering the long-term safety assessment of spent-nuclear fuel management, americium is one of the most radio-toxic actinides. Although spectroscopic methods are widely used for the study of actinide chemistry, application of those methods to americium chemistry has been limited. Herein, we purified $^{241}Am$ to obtain a highly pure stock solution required for spectroscopic studies. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of purified $^{241}Am$ were carried out using liquid scintillation counting, and gamma and alpha radiation spectrometry. Highly sensitive absorption spectrometry coupled with a liquid waveguide capillary cell and time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy were employed for the study of Am(III) hydrolysis and oxalate (Ox) complexation. $Am^{3+}$ ions under acidic conditions exhibit maximum absorbance at 503 nm, with a molar absorption coefficient of $424{\pm}8cm^{-1}{\cdot}M^{-1}$. $Am(OH)_3(s)$ colloidal particles formed under near neutral pH conditions were identified by monitoring the absorbance at around 506-507 nm. The formation of ${Am(Ox)_3}^{3-}$ was detected by red-shifts of the absorption and luminescence spectra of 4 and 5 nm, respectively. In addition, considerable enhancements of the luminescence intensities were observed. The luminescence lifetime of ${Am(Ox)_3}^{3-}$ increased from 23 to 56 ns, which indicates that approximately six water molecules are replaced by carboxylate ligands in the inner-sphere of the Am(III). These results suggest that ${Am(Ox)_3}^{3-}$ is formed through the bidentate coordination of the oxalate ligands.