Glutarimidedioxime: A Complexing and Reducing Reagent for Plutonium Recovery from Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Efficient separation of uranium and plutonium is critical for advanced nuclear fuel cycles.
• Current processes require optimization for speed and effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of glutarimidedioxime (H2A) as a salt-free complexing and reducing reagent for plutonium recovery.
• To demonstrate the suitability of H2A in the PUREX process.

Main Methods:

• Investigated plutonium stripping from 30% tributyl phosphate (TBP) in kerosene into 1 M HNO3 using H2A.
• Analyzed the complexation-reduction mechanism using UV/Vis absorption spectra and crystal structure of a Pu(IV) complex.

Main Results:

• Glutarimidedioxime (H2A) effectively strips plutonium with a high organic to aqueous phase ratio (up to 10:1).
• The reagent facilitates fast stripping rates and high efficiency for Pu(IV) recovery.
• The complexation-reduction mechanism was elucidated.

Conclusions:

• H2A is a promising reagent for plutonium recovery in PUREX processes.
• Its fast kinetics and high efficiency are advantageous for centrifugal contactors with short residence times.
• H2A offers significant improvements over conventional reprocessing methods.