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Determination of 237Np, 93Zr and other long-lived radionuclides in medium and low level radioactive waste samples

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Abstract

The majority of long-lived radionuclides produced in the nuclear fuel cycle can be regarded as “difficult-to-measure” nuclides, hence chemical separation is needed before the nuclear measurement of them. A combined radiochemical procedure that enables the simultaneous determination of some “difficult-to-measure” nuclides in medium and low level radioactive wastes has been developed in our laboratory. Recently, this method has been extended for determination of 237Np and 93Zr. 237Np and 93Zr are pre-concentrated by co-precipitation on iron(II) hydroxide and zirconium oxide, separated by extraction chromatography using UTEVA, and measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). As even traces of polyatomic ions and isotopes at m/z 237 or 93 cause considerable interferences during ICP-MS detection, a purification step by extraction chromatography was needed. Analyzing real samples (evaporation concentrates of a nuclear power plant) 66–99% and 31–99% chemical yields were achieved for Np and Zr, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Nuclear Techniques, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rakpart 9, 1111, Budapest, Hungary

    Sz. Osváth

  2. RadAnal Ltd, Konkoly-Thege M. u. 29-33, 1121, Budapest, Hungary

    N. Vajda & Zs. Molnár

  3. Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Isotopes, Konkoly-Thege M. u. 29-33, 1121, Budapest, Hungary

    É. Széles & Zs. Stefánka

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  1. Sz. Osváth
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  2. N. Vajda
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  3. Zs. Molnár
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  4. É. Széles
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  5. Zs. Stefánka
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Correspondence to Sz. Osváth.

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Osváth, S., Vajda, N., Molnár, Z. et al. Determination of 237Np, 93Zr and other long-lived radionuclides in medium and low level radioactive waste samples. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 286, 675–680 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0738-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0738-7

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