Particle induced X-ray emission-computed tomography analysis of an adsorbent for extraction chromatography

Nd, which simulates minor actinides (MAs), was used for investigating residual minor actinides produced during the extraction chromatography separation of spent fuel from fast neutron reactors. A cross-sectional distribution of Nd in a minute globular adsorbent having diameter less than 50 μm was obtained using particle induced X-ray emission-computed tomography with a 3-MeV proton microbeam. The measurement area was 150 × 150 μm2 corresponding to 128 × 128 imaging pixels in projection images with 9° resolution, image reconstruction was carried out by a modified ML-EM (maximum likelihood expectation maximization) method. As a result, the cross-sectional distribution of Nd in the adsorbent was successfully obtained, and it was first revealed that Nd existed both in the central region and on the outer surface even after an elution. This implies that the internal structure of the adsorbent must be modified for improving of the recovery of MAs.