High-gradient magnetic filtration of UO2 colloids from aqueous suspensions

B. W. Hunter; B. T. Manard; J. McFarlane; V. Rallabandi; J. S. Stanberry; S. E. Szakas; C. Tsouris; M. C. Vick; A. I. Wiechert; J. Willocks; C. F. Weber

doi:10.1007/s10967-025-10588-z

High-gradient magnetic filtration of UO₂ colloids from aqueous suspensions

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Environmental samples often contain innocuous components that make trace actinide analysis difficult and expensive. Therefore, it is expedient to separate these materials from actinide particles. One characteristic of many actinides is that they are paramagnetic. High-gradient magnetic filtration (HGMF) is a non-destructive technique that selectively captures magnetic constituents from a matrix containing non-magnetic species. In this work, a novel HGMF device made of a permanent magnet array was used to effectively separate UO₂ particles from undesirable soil species. Up to 88% of the UO₂ particles present in suspensions were effectively captured by HGMF, resulting in their enrichment and a substantial reduction in the concentrations of other constituents.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	9329-9339
Number of pages	11
Journal	Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Volume	334
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-025-10588-z
State	Published - Dec 2025

Funding

This work was funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research & Development. Analytical support for this work was performed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Ultra-Trace Forensic Science Center. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (https://www.energy.gov/doe-public-access-plan).

Keywords

Actinide separations
HGMF
HGMS
High-gradient magnetic filtration
Paramagnetic particles

Access to Document

10.1007/s10967-025-10588-z

Cite this

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title = "High-gradient magnetic filtration of UO2 colloids from aqueous suspensions",

abstract = "Environmental samples often contain innocuous components that make trace actinide analysis difficult and expensive. Therefore, it is expedient to separate these materials from actinide particles. One characteristic of many actinides is that they are paramagnetic. High-gradient magnetic filtration (HGMF) is a non-destructive technique that selectively captures magnetic constituents from a matrix containing non-magnetic species. In this work, a novel HGMF device made of a permanent magnet array was used to effectively separate UO2 particles from undesirable soil species. Up to 88\% of the UO2 particles present in suspensions were effectively captured by HGMF, resulting in their enrichment and a substantial reduction in the concentrations of other constituents.",

keywords = "Actinide separations, HGMF, HGMS, High-gradient magnetic filtration, Paramagnetic particles",

author = "Hunter, \{B. W.\} and Manard, \{B. T.\} and J. McFarlane and V. Rallabandi and Stanberry, \{J. S.\} and Szakas, \{S. E.\} and C. Tsouris and Vick, \{M. C.\} and Wiechert, \{A. I.\} and J. Willocks and Weber, \{C. F.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} UT-Battelle, LLC, under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2025.",

year = "2025",

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doi = "10.1007/s10967-025-10588-z",

language = "English",

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T1 - High-gradient magnetic filtration of UO2 colloids from aqueous suspensions

AU - Hunter, B. W.

AU - Manard, B. T.

AU - McFarlane, J.

AU - Rallabandi, V.

AU - Stanberry, J. S.

AU - Szakas, S. E.

AU - Tsouris, C.

AU - Vick, M. C.

AU - Wiechert, A. I.

AU - Willocks, J.

AU - Weber, C. F.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © UT-Battelle, LLC, under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2025.

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - Environmental samples often contain innocuous components that make trace actinide analysis difficult and expensive. Therefore, it is expedient to separate these materials from actinide particles. One characteristic of many actinides is that they are paramagnetic. High-gradient magnetic filtration (HGMF) is a non-destructive technique that selectively captures magnetic constituents from a matrix containing non-magnetic species. In this work, a novel HGMF device made of a permanent magnet array was used to effectively separate UO2 particles from undesirable soil species. Up to 88% of the UO2 particles present in suspensions were effectively captured by HGMF, resulting in their enrichment and a substantial reduction in the concentrations of other constituents.

AB - Environmental samples often contain innocuous components that make trace actinide analysis difficult and expensive. Therefore, it is expedient to separate these materials from actinide particles. One characteristic of many actinides is that they are paramagnetic. High-gradient magnetic filtration (HGMF) is a non-destructive technique that selectively captures magnetic constituents from a matrix containing non-magnetic species. In this work, a novel HGMF device made of a permanent magnet array was used to effectively separate UO2 particles from undesirable soil species. Up to 88% of the UO2 particles present in suspensions were effectively captured by HGMF, resulting in their enrichment and a substantial reduction in the concentrations of other constituents.

KW - Actinide separations

KW - HGMF

KW - HGMS

KW - High-gradient magnetic filtration

KW - Paramagnetic particles

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