Transition metal decontamination process

摘要

Nickel (or other transition metal) contaminated with about 5 ppm technetium is decontaminated by dissolving (12) the nickel and the technetium into an aqueous acid solution while introducing a graphite or activated carbon powder (16) into the acid to immediately adsorb the dissolving technetium. The technetium-contaminated powder is separated from the aqueous acid solution (20,26,30) and the nickel is then electrowon (36) from the solution. The depleted acid solution is then recycled back to the dissolution step (40). IMAGE