Detection of Fuel Release in a Nuclear Accident: A Method for Preconcentration and Isolation of Reactor-Borne 239Np Using Ion-Specific Extraction Chromatography

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• 作者：Brett L. Rosenberg ; Katsumi Shozugawa ; Georg Steinhauser
• 刊名：Analytical Chemistry
• 出版年：2015
• 出版时间：September 1, 2015
• 年：2015
• 卷：87
• 期：17
• 页码：8651-8656
• 全文大小：251K
• ISSN：1520-6882

文摘

Although actinides are the most informative elements with respect to the nature of a nuclear accident, plutonium analysis is complicated by the background created by fallout from atmospheric nuclear explosions. Therefore, we propose ²³⁹Np, a short-lived actinide that emits several 纬 rays, as a preferred proxy. The aim of this study was to screen ion specific extraction chromatography resins (RE-, TEVA-, UTEVA-, TRU-, and Actinide-Resin) for the highest possible recovery and separation of trace amounts of ²³⁹Np from samples with large activities of fission products such as radiocesium, radioiodine, and, most importantly, radiotellurium, the latter of which causes spectral interference in gamma spectrometry through overlapping peaks with ²³⁹Np. The investigated environmental media for these separations were aqueous solutions simulating rainwater and soil. Spiked samples containing ²³⁹Np and the aforementioned volatile radionuclides were separated through extraction chromatographic columns to ascertain the most effective means of separating ²³⁹Np from other fission products for detection by gamma spectroscopy. We propose a method for nuclear accident preparedness based on the use of Eichrom鈥檚 RE-Resin. The proposed method was found most effective for isolating ²³⁹Np from interfering radionuclides in both aqueous solution and soil using 8 M HNO₃ as the loading solution and H₂O as the eluent. The RE-Resin outperforms the more commonly used TEVA-Resin because the TEVA-Resin showed a higher affinity for interfering radiotellurium and radioiodine.