Chemical-spectroscopic determination of impurity elements in concentrated salt products from pyrochemical reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel

Abstract

A procedure was developed for separating fission products and impurity elements from concentrated solutions of alkali metal salts by precipitation of carbonates for their subsequent determination by atomic emission spectroscopy. Coprecipitation of Cr, Al, Pb, Fe, Ni, Mo, Cu, Ca, Mg, Eu, Sm, and Gd with various collectors (Zn, Ga, Bi, In, Sc, Sr, Y, Cd) on introducing potassium carbonate into aqueous solutions of potassium sulfate, hydrosulfate, chloride, and nitrate with the salt concentration of 25 to 250 g dm^–3 was studied. The optimum composition of the coprecipitants and the precipitation conditions were determined by methods of mathematical experiment design. The procedure developed is applicable to solutions of alkali metal sulfates, chlorides, and nitrates.