Potential Applications of Room Temperature Ionic Liquids for Fission Products and Actinide Separation

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) are receiving increased attention for possible applications in nuclear fuel cycle. RTILs are being investigated as possible substitutes to molecular diluents in solvent extraction, and as an alternative to high temperature molten salts in non-aqueous reprocessing applications. It is well recognized that ionic liquids often display unique extraction behavior. Unusual extraction of various metal ions has been reported in literature when RTILs are used as solvent medium. These aspects make the subject of RTILs fascinating and challenging. This review provides the current status of room temperature ionic liquid research related to the extraction of actinides and fission products (cesium and strontium) from nitric acid medium, with special emphasis on the studies carried out in our laboratory.