Partitioning of Eu(III) between acidic aqueous Al(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} and tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide

As the Hanford site undergoes remediation, significant economies could be realized if aluminum is kept from High-Level Waste glass. An acidic scrub of the Hanford sludge could enhance Al removal; however, a caveat is the potential mobilization of transuranic elements, which would require a secondary cleanup of the Al/Cr waste stream. Previous solvent extraction (SX) studies have shown that >99% of the Eu and U can be extracted from simulated acidic Al/Cr waste. This study examines the use of extraction chromatographic methods. Results indicate the systems behave comparably and either method could be considered for Hanford clean-up purposes. (authors)