Reductive extraction kinetics of actinide and lanthanide elements in molten chloride and liquid cadmium system

Abstract For the development of reductive extraction process, the rate of extraction of actinide and lanthanide elements was measured in a two-phase system of molten LiCl–KCl eutectic salt and liquid cadmium at 723–873 K. The mass transfer coefficient of the elements was evaluated by applying a film theory. The obtained mass transfer coefficients were found to be as high as expected in the present system. In some cases, however, it was found that the rate of reductive extraction was affected possibly by the solubility of the solute elements in the metal phase.