Plutonium removal by ion exchange chromatography

A study of Pu recovery at trace level from U solutions by ion exchange technique is presented. Plutonium retention > 99.5% onto strong anionic resin, AG-X8, from nitric acid solutions and a 92% recovery using 0.4M HNO sub 3 at 60 deg C as eluent, were obtained. Uranium interference in Pu sorption from mixed U/Pu nitrate solutions with low U/Pu ratio ( approx 25) was not verified. However, for high U/Pu ratio solutions ( approx 10 000), U interference in Pu retention on the resin decreases to 59%. Selecting the loading conditions and using AG-X4 resin, 99% Pu retention was achieved. The Pu product is still contaminated with U and another purification cycle is recommended. A scheme for U/Pu first cycle separation is proposed.