Decomposition Studies of Aqueous Phase Ligands Used in Advanced Reprocessing Flowsheets

Two potential methods for decomposing organic ligands in nitric acid have been studied using acetic acid and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) as examples; these methods were oxidation by nitric acid at elevated temperatures (70-110 °C) and electrochemical oxidation, both direct and mediated electrochemical oxidation. Based on total carbon measurements, acetic acid proved to be rather stable against nitric acid oxidation whereas 60-80% of DTPA was decomposed at 100-110°C. Electrochemical oxidation methods were generally more effective in decomposing acetic acid and DTPA with mediated electrochemical oxidation using Ag(II) ions the most effective method under the conditions tested, with ∼80 and >90% loss of carbon from acetic acid and DTPA solutions respectively, at ambient temperature in 6 M HNO₃.