Preparation and characterization of extraction chromatography resins using N-donor extractants for trivalent actinide and lanthanide separations

Actinide and lanthanide elements exist in the geosphere and biosphere due to both natural abundances and anthropogenic activities. The investigation of the presence and transport of actinides through the environment is of great scientific interest. In order to prepare environmental samples for precise measurements, the individual actinides must be separated from the chemically similar lanthanides, and from neighboring actinides. Existing extraction chromatography resins are either poorly suited for this separation, have bleeding problems, are not reusable, or fail the CHON principle. In an effort to resolve these issues, malonamides and N-donor extractants from the BTP and BTBP classes of solvent extraction ligands were coated onto solid resin supports and characterized. The extraction behavior of the resins was determined in test batches to optimize the parameters of the resins. Nitric and hydrochloric acids were used to characterize the resins in batch studies for extraction of Pu-239, Am-241, Cm-244, and natural Eu. The resins were studied on columns with Am-241, and bleeding was also determined. This dissertation shows that the isobutyl-BTP resin which was created had the best performance, with minimal bleeding and maximal extraction. The C5-BTBP and CyMe4-BTBP resins were less favorable. Future work should focus on the kinetics of the BTBP resins, or on expanding the extraction knowledge of the isobutyl-BTP resin