Evaluation study on silica/polymer-based CA-BTP adsorbent for the separation of minor actinides from simulated high-level liquid wastes

A silica/polymer-based CA-BTP/SiO2–P adsorbent was prepared to separate minor actinides and some key radionuclides from HLLW. The adsorption properties of CA-BTP/SiO2–P toward 238U(VI), 239Pu(IV), 241Am(III), 99Tc(VII), 152Eu(III), and some typical fission products were studied. CA-BTP/SiO2–P stability against γ-radiation was also evaluated. It found CA-BTP/SiO2–P showed very poor adsorption abilities toward U(VI) and most experimental FPs, while CA-BTP/SiO2–P exhibited higher adsorption abilities toward 241Am(III), 239Pu(IV), and 99Tc(VII) in 0.5–1 M HNO3 solution. Moreover, dry CA-BTP/SiO2–P demonstrated no instability when the radiation dose was up to 161 kGy. CA-BTP/SiO2–P adsorbent is a potential candidate for separating 241Am(III), 239Pu(IV), and 99Tc(VII) from HLLW.