Separation of trivalent actinides from lanthanides using hollow fiber supported liquid membrane containing Cyanex-301 as the carrier

The transport as well as separation behaviour of trivalent actinides viz. Am3+ and lanthanides viz. La3+, Eu3+, Tb3+, Ho3+, Yb3+ and Lu3+ were investigated using polypropylene (PP) hollow fiber-based supported liquid membrane containing Cyanex-301 (bis(2,4,4-trimethyl pentyl)dithiophosphinic acid) in n-dodecane as the carrier. The transport rate of the trivalent actinide ion was much faster as compared to those of the trivalent lanthanide ions investigated in the present study. The transport rates were found to be affected by the carrier concentration. High decontamination factors (DF) as well as throughputs suggested possibility of application of this method for real waste solutions.