Oxalic acid constitutes the main interference in the recovery of plutonium from dissolved irradiated carbide fuels by solvent extraction in the Purex process.The effectiveness of various chemical oxidants in the destruction of oxalic acid was investigated.The oxidants were also tested on solutions obtained by dissolving mixed uranium-plutonium carbides in nitric acid.Their effects were evaluated based on the evolution of CO,, on the changes in absorption spectra (400-850 nm) and on the extractability of plutonium with TBP from the resulting solution. Although, none of the chemicals studied were ideally suited, Mn0 2 was the most promising.
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