Development of a Flowsheet for Separating Boron Isotopes Using Liquid Extraction

The extraction system consisting of n-trioctylamine in o-xylene and an aqueous solution of boric and tartaric acids was chosen for separating boron isotopes by chemical exchange in a liquid–liquid system. The choice was based on the experimental data of the Khlopin Radium Institute and published data. An average separation factor of 1.02 was achieved. It was independent of the 10B content in the initial solution, which ranged from 20 to 96.6%. A principle for organizing a flowsheet of boric acid enrichment in 10B using liquid–liquid extraction with the return of a portion of the enriched product (reflux) was suggested.