Abstract
Currently, used nuclear fuel is reprocessed using the PUREX process to isolate uranium and plutonium. Separation of these actinides is achieved through multiple steps of liquid-liquid extraction using tri-n-butyl-phosphate (TBP) as the extractant. Work aiming to develop a precise model of the fuel retreatment process in order to optimize it fails to accurately reproduce the ruthenium partial extraction and its retention in organic phase. Molecular mechanisms are still badly understood and hinder these developments. Previous studies had shown that ruthenium chemistry is complex but they mostly rely on macroscopic information as distribution coefficients or rate constants. Deficiencies remain about the coordination mode between TBP and ruthenium, about the structure and stability of extracted species or about the speciation for solutions at low acidities (CHNO3aq < 3 M).Ruthenium speciation analysis was undertaken during this work. It relies on the combination of different spectroscopic techniques (FTIR and EXAFS) and on the use of solid reference compounds fully characterized by single crystal XRD, FTIR and EXAFS. This method was developed in order to improve the interpretation of spectroscopic results for ruthenium aqueous and organic phases.This method coupling FTIR analysis, potentiometric determination in aqueous phase and fit results of EXAFS experimental data allowed us to obtain average structure for [RuNO(NO3)x(OH)y(H2O)5-x-y]3-(x+y)+ species in solution. It was demonstrated that ruthenium coordination sphere was not modified during extraction in process conditions. The hypothesis of a direct link between ruthenium and TBP was excluded. Influence of the nitric acid and nitrate concentrations was highlighted for ruthenium speciation in both aqueous and organic phases. Separate equilibria should be implemented to describe ruthenium extraction depending on chemical conditions. At high acidity (CHNO3aq = 4 M), non-hydrolyzed ruthenium complexes with an average nitrate number close to 3 were identified (2 < x < 4 et z = 0). Conversely, at low acidity (CHNO3aq = 1 M), a hydrolyzed ruthenium compound, observed in aqueous phase, is extracted into the organic phase. This compound was shown to be a bimetallic complex which could be written as [(RuNO)2(NO3)2x(H2O)9-2x(µ-OH)](5-2x)+.Finally the ageing study of organic phase allowed us to highlight exchanges between the ruthenium ligands and solvated nitric acid. These phenomena are relatively slow for isolated organic phases but are accelerated in the presence of an aqueous phase. An increase of ruthenium distribution coefficient was also observed. These ligand exchanges in ruthenium coordination sphere and the large fluctuations of speciation depending on chemical conditions (CH+ et CNO3-) may cause the ruthenium retention noticed in the process.This study offers opportunities to improve ruthenium extraction equilibria coverage in thermodynamic models and support the development of predictive models for industrial separation processes.