ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Selective separation of yttrium(III) through a liquid membrane system using 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone as an extractant carrier

Reza Davarkhah, Elmira Farahmand Asl, Mohammad Samadfam, Maryam Tavasoli, Parisa Zaheri, and Mojtaba Shamsipur

Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran

E-mail: rdavarkhah@yahoo.com

Abstract: 2-Thenoyltrifluoroacetone has been offered as a mobile carrier in organic phase for the transport and selective separation of yttrium from aqueous media using a liquid membrane system. Perceivably, the use of n-propylamine (PA) in the source phase enhances the transport of yttrium ions. The extraction and stripping conditions have entirely been evaluated and explained. The suggested method has been utilized for the separation of yttrium(III) from its binary mixtures with strontium(II) and some other cations such as Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Ag⁺, Fe²⁺, Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺and Cs⁺ in aqueous solutions of pH 5.4 in the presence of PA, while 1 M nitric acid was acting as a stripping agent in the receiving division. Cyanide ion and 5-sulfosalicylic acid have been used as masking agents to minimize the interferences from different transition metal ions and Al³⁺ in the source phase, respectively. ⁹⁰Y in secular equilibrium with ⁹⁰Sr in the source phase, was transferred to receiving phase and separated completely from its long-lived parent isotope. The activity of the transported ⁹⁰Y was found to decay with a half-life 64.17 ± 0.05 h. The purity of yttrium-90 was comparable or better than the other applied liquid membrane systems for purification of yttrium-90.

Keywords: Liquid membrane ; Yttrium(III) ; Strontium(II) ; 2-Thenoyltrifluoroacetone ; n-Propylamine ; Lewis cell 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-018-0407-9

Chemical Papers 72 (6) 1487–1497 (2018)