Background Rn-rejected actinide in air spectroscopy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12398445-B2
Application number	US-202318099307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2023
Priority date	Jan 20, 2022
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

The method of separating an actinide within a mixture of an Rn-progeny alpha emitting isotope includes disposing a continuous air monitoring filter in acetone. The acetone is then evaporated, thereby forming a residue. The residue is mixed with a first solution including nitric acid, thus forming a first blend. The first blend is mixed with a second solution including an extraction solvent, thus forming a second blend. The second blend is stratified into a first layer and a second layer. The first layer is extracted from the second blend, thus separating the actinide from the Rn-progeny alpha emitting isotope.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of separating an actinide within a mixture of at least one Rn-progeny alpha emitting isotope, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a continuous air monitoring filter;
disposing the continuous air monitoring filter in acetone;
evaporating the acetone, thereby forming a residue;
mixing the residue with a first solution including nitric acid, thus forming a first blend;
mixing the first blend with a second solution including an extraction solvent, thus forming a second blend;
stratifying the second blend into a first layer and a second layer;
extracting the first layer from the second blend, thus separating the actinide from the at least one Rn-proeny alpha emitting isotope.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extraction solvent includes tributyl phosphate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the extraction solvent also includes diisopropyl fluorophosphate.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of filtering a solid particle from the second blend after the step of mixing the residue with the first solution, but before the step of stratifying the second blend into a first layer and a second layer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of extracting the first layer from the second blend includes utilizing gravimetric extraction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molarity of the nitric acid is around 0.1M.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molarity of the nitric acid is around 6M.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molarity of the nitric acid is around 15M.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second solution has a greater weight percentage ratio of diisopropyl fluorophosphate than tributyl phosphate.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second solution has around a 2:1 weight percentage ratio of diisopropyl fluorophosphate and tributyl phosphate, respectively.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the continuous air monitoring filter is a polycarbonate filter.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the continuous air monitoring filter has a pore size less than 10 μm.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the continuous air monitoring filter has a pore size around 3 μm.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer includes the tributyl phosphate and the actinide, the first layer is characterized by the absence of the Rn-progeny alpha emitting isotope.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Taleyarkhan Rusi P

Classifications

• C22B7/006

  Wet processes · CPC title

• G01T7/04

  by filtration · CPC title

• C22B3/3846

  Phosphoric acid, e.g. (O)P(OH)3 · CPC title

• C22B60/04

  Obtaining plutonium · CPC title

• C22B60/0295

  obtaining other actinides except plutonium · CPC title