Insights in uranium extraction from spent nuclear fuels using dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 – Fate of rhenium as technetium homolog

Abstract

The single extraction of rhenium(VII) and uranium(VI) from nitric acid solution by dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DCH) solutions was investigated. The extraction of Re(VII), in the form of perrhenate (ReO4−) anion, was optimum for a nitric acid concentration of 3 M and was explained by the ion-pair extraction of perrhenate anions by the hydroxonium DCH complex. The stoichiometry of the Re(VII) complex was obtained from the distribution data by slope analysis and the extracted specie was identified as {ReO4−(DCH-H3O)+}. The uranyl extraction by DCH solutions was evaluated under the same conditions and the extracted specie was identified as {(NO3−)2(DCH-UO22+)} for a nitric acid concentration above 5 M. The extraction of rhenium(VII) from nitric acid solution by DCH solutions in the presence of large excess of uranium(VI) was then investigated. For a nitric acid concentration of 3 mol/L, the extraction efficiency of perrhenate was found to be almost independent of uranium concentration. Based on the chemical similarities between Re(VII) and Tc(VII), this suggests that DCH could be considered for the separation of technetium (VII)/uranium(VI) from nitric acid solution.