Understanding and characterizing the radiolytic degradation of TBP has been an ongoing topic of research. In the work presented here, degradation constants for the radiolysis of tributyl phosphate as a function of various process variables, such as the inclusion of nitric acid as well as metal uptake, were determined. Degradation constants were found for both high LET and low LET (gamma) radiation exposure. Results indicate that susceptibility to gamma radiolysis is roughly twice that of high LET and that acid uptake by TBP has little effect on the overall degradation for both high and low LET irradiations. The inclusion of metal uptake affects the degradation of TBP by forming complexes that absorb a portion of the energy deposited by radiation. These TBP-metal complexes break down during irradiation and degradation. constants for the complex were determined for both high and low LET radiation. Similar to pure TBP, gamma radiation affects metal complexes greater than high LET radiation.

Radiolytic degradation of tributyl phosphate in the presence of uranium

255th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.