Reversed-Micellar Extraction of Strontium(II) from Model Solutions of Seawater

In order to monitor a radioactive nuclide of strontium-90 in seawater around nuclear facilities, a solvent-extraction method for collecting Sr(II) in seawater was examined. A reversed-micellar extraction system containing an anionic surfactant AOT and a molecular extractant N,N,N′,N′-tetra(n-octyl)diglycolamide (TODGA) in n-hexane was chosen for the extraction of Sr(II) from model solutions of seawater containing 0.5 M NaCl (1 M = 1 mol dm−3), 0.05 M MgCl2, and/or 0.01 M CaCl2. The combination of AOT-forming reversed micelles and TODGA coordinating with Sr(II) as an organic ligand (extractant) was found to be efficient for the extraction of Sr(II) from model solutions. The mechanism of the reversed-micellar extraction system was also considered in the present study.