Flow-sheet Study of MA Recovery by Extraction Chromatography for SmART Cycle Project

Optimization in a flow-sheet of the extraction chromatography process for minor actinides (MA(III); Am and Cm) recovery from high level liquid waste (HLLW) were carried out through batch-wise adsorption/elution experiments on diluted HLLW and column separation experiments on genuine HLLW. Separation experiments using CMPO/SiO2-P and HDEHP/SiO2-P adsorbent columns with an improved flow-sheet successfully achieved more than 70% recovery yields of MA(III) with decontamination factors of Ln(III) > 103, and a modified flow-sheet for less contamination with fission products was proposed consequently. These results will contribute to MA(III) recovery operations for SmART Cycle project in Japan Atomic Energy Agency which is planned to demonstrate FR fuel cycle with more than 1g of Am.