Continuous chelation-extraction process for the separation and purification of metals

Claim 1

IN AN INTEGRATED CYCLIC PROCESS FOR SEPARATING AND RECOVERING MATERIALS INCLUDING PLUTONIUM, ZIRCONIUM AND URANIUM FROM AN IMPURE SOLUTION IN NITRIC ACID OF ABOUT 0.25 TO 0.572 M CONCENTRATION, THE STEPS COMPRISING TREATING SAID SOLUTION WITH OXIDATION-REDUCTION AGENTS TO PLACE THE PLUTONIUM IN THE IV OXIDATION STATE WHILE MAINTAINING THE URANIUM IN THE HEXAVALENT STATE, CONTINUOUSLY COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING THE SOLUTION WITH A SOLVENT EXTRACTANT PHASE COMPRISING A SOLVENT AND A FLUORINATED B-DIKETONE IN A MULTISTAGE EXTRACTOR TO EXTRACT THE PLUTONIUM AND ZIRCONIUM THEREINTO WHILE LEAVING THE URANIUM IN THE RESIDUAL ACID SOLUTION, CONTINUOUSLY COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING THE SOLVENT EXTRACT OBTAINED IN THE FOREGOING OPERATION WITH A NITRIC ACID SOLUTION HAVING A CONCENTRATION IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1 TO 2 M IN A MULTISTAGE EXTRACTOR TO EXTRACT THE PLUTONIUM THEREINTO, THEN CONTACTING THE SOLVENT EXTRACT WITH A DILUTE NITRIC ACID SOLUTION OF OXALIC ACID IN A MULTISTAGE EXTRACTOR TO EXTRACT THE ZIRCONIUM THEREFROM, CONTINOUSLY COUNSTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING THE RESIDUAL ACID SOLUTION WITH HEXONE IN A MULTISTAGE EXTRACTOR TO EXTRACT THE URANIUM THEREFROM, AND RECOVERING THE URANIUM FROM THE HEXONE EXTRACT.