Direct separation of minor actinides from high level liquid waste by Me(2)-CA-BTP/SiO(2)-P adsorbent

Directly separating minor actinides (MA: Am, Cm, etc.) from high level liquid waste (HLLW) containing lanthanides and other fission products is of great significance for the whole nuclear fuel cycle, especially in the aspects of reducing long-term radioactivity and simplifying the post-processing separation process. Herein, a novel silica-based adsorbent Me(2)-CA-BTP/SiO(2)-P was prepared by impregnating Me(2)-CA-BTP (2,6-bis(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,8,9,9-tetramethyl-5,8-methano-1,2,4-benzotriazin-3-yl)pyridine) into porous silica/polymer support particles (SiO(2)-P) under reduced pressure. It was found Me(2)-CA-BTP/SiO(2)-P exhibited good adsorption selectivity towards (241)Am(III) over (152)Eu(III) in a wide nitric acid range, acceptable adsorption kinetic, adequate stability against γ irradiation in 1 and 3 M HNO(3) solutions, and successfully separated (241)Am(III) from simulated 3 M HNO(3) HLLW. In sum, considering the good overall performance of Me(2)-CA-BTP/SiO(2)-P adsorbent, it has great application potential for directly separating MA from HLLW, and is expected to establish an advanced simplified MA separation process, which is very meaningful for the development of nuclear energy.