Sequential separation of uranium and plutonium in urine sample using UTEVA resin

Abstract

This article describes the process of separating uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) sequentially in urine samples through the use of UTEVA resin. The manuscript optimizes several parameters, including the concentration of nitric acid in the loading solution, the repeatability of results across the multiple uses of the column, and most significantly, implementation of distinctive eluting agents. These eluting agents encompass a combination of 0.002M sulfamic acid and 0.002M ascorbic acid in 2M HNO3, as well as 1.5M NH2OH, HCl (hydroxylamine hydrochloride) in 2M HCl, all aimed at enhancing recovery percentages. The selection of 0.002M sulfamic acid and 0.002M ascorbic acid in 2M HNO3 have been observed to be exceptionally effective in achieving higher radiochemical recoveries. The standardized methodology presented here is characterized by its swiftness and robustness, particularly when compared to the traditional ion exchange method and numerous other published works related to extraction chromatography materials. Radiochemical recoveries for spiked urine samples of 232U and 242Pu consistently fall within the range of 93%–100% and 71%–96%, demonstrating an average recovery percentage with a standard deviation of 96.2% ±2.4% and 82.4% ±10.1%, respectively.

Keywords

• alpha spectrometry
• plutonium
• uranium
• urine
• uteva resin