Jason L Bell

US Patent:

20140072485, Mar 13, 2014

Filed:

Sep 13, 2012

Appl. No.:

13/614757

Inventors:

Huimin Luo - Knoxville TN, US
Rose Ann Boll - Knoxville TN, US
Jason Richard Bell - Midlothian VA, US
Sheng Dai - Knoxville TN, US

Assignee:

UT-BATTELLE, LLC - Oak Ridge TN

International Classification:

C22B 60/02
C22B 30/06
C22B 60/00
C22B 7/00

US Classification:

423 8, 423 2

Abstract:

A method for extracting a radioisotope from an aqueous solution, the method comprising: a) intimately mixing a non-chelating ionic liquid with the aqueous solution to transfer at least a portion of said radioisotope to said non-chelating ionic liquid; and b) separating the non-chelating ionic liquid from the aqueous solution. In preferred embodiments, the method achieves an extraction efficiency of at least 80%, or a separation factor of at least 1×10when more than one radioisotope is included in the aqueous solution. In particular embodiments, the method is applied to the separation of medical isotopes pairs, such as Th from Ac (Th-229/Ac-225, Ac-227/Th-227), or Ra from Ac (Ac-225 and Ra-225, Ac-227 and Ra-223), or Ra from Th (Th-227 and Ra-223, Th-229 and Ra-225).