Extraction of Eu-152, Nd and Am-241 from the Simulated Liquid Wastes by Picolinamide$(C_8H_{17})$

Trivalent actinide-lanthanide group separation is difficult to perform on an industrial scale, because of the many drawbacks of the available chemical process. In this paper, picolinamide(C$_{8}$H$_{17}$) is synthesized and characterized, and extraction yields of Am-241, Eu-152 and Nd are determined in batch extraction experiments. In particular, the influence of the solvent is described. The extraction yields of Am-241, Eu-152 and Nd depended on the LiNO$_3$ concentration, the picolinamide(C$_{8}$H$_{17}$) concentration and the acidity. A favorable picolinamide(C$_{8}$H$_{17}$) concentration was found to be about 2M. The appropriate nitric acid concentration and LiNO$_3$ concentration were confirmed to be about 0.125M and 3M, respectively. The separation factor of Am and Eu was about 9.9 at optimum conditions. The picolinamide(C$_{8}$H$_{17}$) is a very promising extractant for the actinide(III)-lanthanides(III) separation.aration.aration.