Zirconium and Hafnium Separation by Novel Green Emulsion Liquid Membrane Containing an Environmentally Benign Diluent

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Hot Laboratories and Waste Management Center, Atomic Energy Authority

2 Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority

Abstract

Green liquid emulsion membrane (LEM) was
developed for separation of zirconium and hafnium from nitric acid medium. The
membrane is based on the use of CYANEX-272 diluted with corn oil (green
diluent) as a carrier, span 80 as a surfactant and citric acid as a stripping
agent. The factors affecting the stability of the LEM were investigated under
chosen conditions. The parameters affecting the permeation of Zr and Hf from
nitrate medium were also studied. The metal ion content in the inner phase
obtained by demulsifying the loaded CC-LEM using the freeze-thaw method is 22.8
g/l Zr and 2.05 mg/l Hf i.e. the contamination of the recovered Zr is 89.91 mg
Hf/ kg Zr which is below the limit for the use of zirconium in nuclear
applications.

Keywords