Water Content of Organic Solvents and their Relationship to Extraction of Nitric and Acetic Acid from UREX+ Streams

Abstract

This study investigates the equilibrium absorption of water in various solvents and solvent-mixtures being considered for the counter-current solvent extraction of acetic acid from improved Uranium Extraction (UREX+) process solutions. It then seeks to determine if there is any correlation between the equilibrium water content of these solvents and their equilibrium extraction of 0.25 M nitric and 0.025 M acetic acid. The UREX+ process is a proliferation resistant version of the Plutonium Uranium Extraction (PUREX) process. The solvents studied were n-Dodecane (nDD), 1,2 Dichloroethane (DCE), and Phenyltrifluoromethyl Sulfone (FS-13), and mixtures of these solvents with Tributyl Phosphate (TBP). After studying both pure water and acidified aqueous systems, it seems the water absorption mechanism is independent of the diluent used and remains constant with the addition of the 0.25 M nitric and 0.025 M acetic acid.