Precipitation and solvent extraction methods have been investigated for the purification of plutonium from silver from the solution generated during oxidative dissolution of plutonium oxide using Ag(II) ions. Initial experiments have been carried out using thorium as representative of plutonium. Selecting the optimum conditions, the experiments were repeated with plutonium. The results revealed that Pu can be purified from silver ions either by precipitating silver as silver chloride or silver metal followed by Pu(IV) oxalate precipitation or by selective extraction of Pu(IV) into 20% Aliquat-336 or 30% TBP. |