PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF URANIUM FROM SMALL AMOUNTS OF RADIOACTIVE FISSION PRODUCTS, WHICH ARE PRESENT IN BASIC, AQUEOUS CARBONATE CONTAINING SOLUTIONS

摘要

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA process for separating large amounts of uranium from smallamounts of radioactive fission products, which are present inbasic, aqueous carbonate containing solutions, by means of abasic, organic anion exchanger. Uranium values present asuranyl-carbonato complex in a basic, aqueous, carbonatecontaining solution can be separated from fission products of thegroup ruthenium, zirconium, niobium and lanthanide, and with arelatively high degree of decontamination as well. The aqueoussolution is adjusted to a ratio of uranyl ion concentration tocarbonate ion- or CO3--/HCO3- concentration of 1(UO2++) to4.5(CO3--, or CO3--/HCO3-), or more, at a maximum U concentrationof not more than 60 g/l. The adjusted solution is led over abasic anion exchanger made from a polyalkene matrix provided witha preponderant part tertiary and a minor part quaternary aminogroups to adsorb fission products ions or fission productscontaining ions. The unadsorbed uranyl-carbonato complex isrecovered in a decontaminated, preponderantly fission productfree form by separating the uranium containing, remaining aqueoussolution from the ion exchanger.