Simultaneous Separation of Protactinium-230 and Uranium-230 Isotopes from a Proton-Irradiated Thorium Matrix

The use of radioisotopes in cancer therapy is becoming increasingly important. As a potential candidate for targeted alpha therapy, ²³⁰U (t_1/2 = 20.8 d), the decay daughter of ²³⁰Pa (t_1/2 = 17.4 d) is currently being investigated for cancer treatment. For radioisotopes to be used in biomedicine, they must be radiochemically pure and free from carrier interference. This can be challenging given their short half-life. Thus, radiological separation methods for harvesting isotopes for use in biomedicine must be simple, fast, and capable of obtaining the required purity levels. Herein, we demonstrate a new rapid method for the separation of ²³⁰U and ²³⁰Pa from a proton-irradiated ²³²Th metal target and from coproduced fission products with high recovery and purity. A dual-column approach was used, in which the first column was an anion exchange (AX) column and the second column was a DGA column. The MP-1 AX resin was used for the primary separation of the three major components (U, Pa, and Th, as well as fission products), and the DGA column was used for further purification of the separated ²³⁰U. The method is simple and allows for straightforward separation of U, Pa, Th, and fission products; also, the entire process from target dissolution to shipment of ²³⁰U could be completed in 3 days with an overall ²³⁰U recovery yield of 96 ± 3%. Additionally, separated ²³⁰Pa fractions can be used to harvest ingrown ²³⁰U after initial separation.