Rapid determination of alpha emitters using Actinide resin

Area of Science:

• Radiochemistry
• Environmental Science
• Nuclear Decommissioning

Background:

• The European Commission has set stringent radiological protection criteria for clearing nuclear installation waste.
• Very low clearance levels for actinides (0.1-1 Bq g⁻¹) in building rubble pose analytical challenges.
• Natural radionuclides in rubble interfere with direct alpha counting for actinide verification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Actinide resin for extracting plutonium and americium from nuclear demolition rubble.
• To develop a rapid analytical method for verifying actinide clearance levels in rubble samples.

Main Methods:

• Testing the extraction capability of Actinide resin (Eichrom Industries, Inc.) for actinides in various oxidation states.
• Evaluating actinide retention on spiked rubble samples using certified standards (239Pu, 241Am).
• Leaching samples with nitric acid, passing through a chromatographic column, and measuring eluent by Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC).

Main Results:

• Actinide resin demonstrated a strong affinity for actinides in tri-, tetra-, and hexavalent oxidation states.
• Actinide retention on the resin ranged from 60% to 80% in rubble samples.
• The resin facilitated easy recovery of absorbed radionuclides.

Conclusions:

• Actinide resin is a viable tool for extracting key actinides from rubble matrices.
• A rapid method for verifying actinide clearance levels in rubble samples can be established using this resin.
• This method addresses the analytical difficulties posed by low clearance levels and natural radionuclide interference.