Extraction of nitric acid and uranyl nitrate by TBP in HFC-134a

It was found that commercial refrigerant HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) dissolves 19 ± 2 and 25 ± 2 vol.% TBP at 1.2 MPa and 25 °C and at 2.8 MPa and 80 °C, respectively. The TBP solutions in HFC-134a effectively extract nitric acid; the [HNO3]:[TBP] molar ratio changes from 1.5:1 to 2.3:1. Experimental data showed that the recovery of uranium from uranyl nitrate in a single operation using TBP solutions in CO2 is about 80%, whereas in the case of TBP solutions in HFC-134a the recovery degree of uranium in a single operation reaches 95–98%. Effective dissolution of UO2 can be performed using the solution of TBP–nitric acid adduct in HFC-134a.