Method for separating in an aqueous medium lanthanides and/or actinides by combined complexing-nanofiltration, and novel complexing agents therefor

摘要

The invention relates to the separation of lanthanides and actinides by nanofiltration complexation. The object of the invention is to satisfy the existing need for a simple, efficient and economical technique for separating lanthanides and actinides. This object is achieved by a process consisting of using ligands of the polyamino acid type, such as EDTA or DTPA, for complexing lanthanides and/or actinides before separating them by nanofiltration. The invention further relates to novel polyamino acid ligands incorporating ligand structures additional to EDTA and DTPA. Application to the production of rare earths or nuclear waste processing, especially to recycling operations carried out on spent nuclear fuels is also discussed.