Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Processes and products – Electrostatic field or electrical discharge
Patent
1991-07-25
1992-10-20
Niebling, John
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Processes and products
Electrostatic field or electrical discharge
423 10, 423 49, C25C 106
Patent
active
051567229
ABSTRACT:
Two alternate, mutually exclusive, methods of removing radio contaminants from metal are taught based respectively on electrowinning or electrorefining of the base metal. The alternative using electrorefining controls the anolyte oxidation potential to selectively reduce the technetium in the metallic feedstock solution from Tc(VII) to Tc(IV) forcing it to report to the anodic slimes preventing it from reporting to the cathodic metal product. This method eliminates the need for peripheral decontamination processes such as solvent extraction and/or ion exchange to remove the technetium prior to nickel electrorefining. The other alternative method combines solvent extraction with electrowinning. By oxidizing technetium to the heptavalent state and by using mixtures of tri-n-octyalphosphine oxide and di-2-ethyl phosphoric acid in aliphatic hydrocarbon carriers to extract the radio contaminants prior to electrowinning, the background metal may be recovered for beneficial reuse. Electrowinning may further polish the decontamination extraction process to remove residual actinides in solution while winning a radio- chemical free metal product. These methods are particularly useful for the decontamination of nickel by radio contaminants such as technetium and actinides.
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Ayers Laura J.
Gass William R.
Snyder Thomas S.
Worcester Samuel A.
Mayekar Kishor
Niebling John
Valentine J. C.
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
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