Direct Extraction of Uranium Oxides with <i>N,N</i>-Di(2-ethylhexyl)isobutyramide
The direct extraction of uranium from voloxidized nuclear fuel into an organic solvent offers several potential advantages over conventional hydrometallurgical reprocessing, including reducing the reprocessing plant footprint, providing an initial degree of decontamination from fission products, and minimizing the amount of secondary waste from nitric acid. In this work, the direct extraction of uranium oxides into 1.5 M <i>N,N</i>-di(2-ethylhexyl)isobutyramide (DEHiBA) in <i>n-</i>dodecane is examined. UV-vis spectra and distribution ratios of HNO<sub>2</sub> in 1.5 M DEHiBA as well as the equilibrium organic phase H<sub>2</sub>O concentrations in HNO<sub>3</sub>-loaded 1.5 M DEHiBA are also reported. Hypothesized reaction stoichiometries for the direct extraction of uranium from UO<sub>2</sub>, α-U<sub>3</sub>O<sub>8</sub>, and ε-UO<sub>3</sub> are verified through analysis of organic-phase U, HNO<sub>2</sub>, and HNO<sub>3</sub> concentrations after dissolution. Water generated by the dissolution results in the formation of a separate aqueous phase, which will need to be accounted for in future flowsheet design.
Authors
- Amy L. Speelman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5023-4847)
- Ashley Williams
- Gabriel B. Hall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4193-7807)
- Gregg J. Lumetta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0216-8515)
- Bruce K. McNamara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3653-9625)
- Nathan P. Bessen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2980-6107)
- Daria Boglaienko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6094-3877)
- Sergey I. Sinkov
- Avalon B. Tarbet-Mendoza
Institutions
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Omega
- Published
- 2025-03-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c01103
- Primary Topic
- Radioactive element chemistry and processing
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain