Production of large quantities of 90Y by ion-exchange chromatography using an organic resin and a chelating agent

The performance of a system composed of an organic cation exchanger (Dowex 50Wx8) and a chelating agent (EDTA) previously described for the successful production of (90)Y via a (90)Sr/(90)Y generator is assessed under dynamic conditions. In an attempt to overcome the established limitation of ion-exchange resins for the separation of subcurie quantities of activity, (90)Y is repeatedly isolated from an 11.8-GBq (320 mCi) (90)Sr cow using a three-column tandem arrangement. The high recovery and radionuclidic purity obtained for (90)Y and the parameters of the separation (time, eluant concentration, pH and flow rate range) strongly suggest that Ci quantities of (90)Y can be handled satisfactorily by the ion-exchange method. No replacement or treatment of the cow, low waste generation and (90)Sr losses less than 0.1% after each run were observed during the present study which, in combination with the low cost of this resin, may result in an attractive alternate method for the production of large quantities of (90)Y.