Investigation of uranium in bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide based ionic liquids

The development of industrial scale ionic liquid based flow sheets is the anticipated outgrowth of fundamental ionic liquid research. The Nuclear Materials Technology (NMT) and Engineering Sciences and Applications (ESA) Divisions at Los Alamos National Laboratory are continuing the development of advanced uranium Decontamination and Conversion (D&C) systems based on the electrolytic stripping of plutonium contaminated uranium surfaces. Development of the aqueous D&C flow sheet has presented several challenges. Chief among these is the need to mitigate the safety concerns associated with the generation of hydrogen during electrolysis. We have found that the effectiveness of the stripping process is in some cases limited by film formation on the uranium anode. The aqueous flow sheet is further complicated by the requirement for pH control throughout the run, and by the ill-defined plutonium baring hydrolysis residues. Our presentation will focus on the preliminary development work toward an ionic liquid based alternative to the current aqueous process.