Oxidative eutectic mixture for efficient decontamination of environmental radioactivity

The management of long-lived actinides including uranium (U), neptunium (Np), plutonium (Pu), and americium (Am) in nuclear waste and contaminated water remains a critical challenge due to their diverse oxidation states and environmental mobility. Conventional decontamination approaches often demonstrate limited universality, particularly for weakly charged Np(V), necessitating innovative strategies for simultaneous actinides removal. Here, we pioneered an oxidative eutectic mixture (EM) by integrating ammonium vanadate with N,N,N',N'-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP), which enables universal actinide decontamination through synergistic oxidation-coordination-encapsulation mechanism. The oxidative EM exhibits robust performance (>99.8 % recovery) under environmentally relevant conditions, including broad acidity range, high salinity, variable temperatures, and complex mineral acid media, and supports green regeneration via salicylic acid stripping. By integrating redox modulation with tailored coordination chemistry, this work provides a scalable, eco-compatible solution for mitigating actinide pollution in groundwater, industrial effluents, and accident-impacted ecosystems, offering new insights into radioactive waste management and environmental remediation.