Patent Number: 044773773
Section: claims

1. The process of recovering cesium ions in higher concentration from mixtures thereof with other ions which comprises (1) establishing a separate aqueous source phase of the ions to be separated of basic pH, (2) establishing a separate aqueous recipient phase, (3) establishing a liquid membrane phase containing a macrocyclic calixarene ligand in a liquid membrane solvent interfacing with the source phase and the recipient phase, (4) maintaining this interfacial contact for a period of time long enough to transport a substantial part of the cesium ions from the source phase to the recipient phase, and (5) recovering the cesium ions from said recipient phase. 2. The process as set forth in claim 1 in which the liquid membrane solvent is a mixture of methylene chloride and carbon tetrachloride. 3. The process as set forth in claim 1 in which the ions to be separated are derived from nuclear waste which contains a plurality of degredation products of uranium splitting which have molelcular weights about half of the molecular weight of uranium. 4. The process as set forth in claim 1 in which the ligand is the tetrameric calixarene. 5. The process as set forth in claim 1 in which the ligand is the hexameric calixarene. 6. The process as set forth in claim 1 in which the ligand is the octameric calizarene. 7. The process as set forth in claim 1 in which the source phase is separated from the recipient phase by the liquid membrane phase and by a solid physical barrier. 8. The process as set forth in claim 1 in which the source phase is separated from the recipient phase by the liquid membrane only.