The present application is directed to a method for the purification of Radium, in particular 226Ra, for target preparation for an essentially pure 225Ac production from available radioactive sources, using an extraction chromatography in order to separate chemically similar elements such as Ba, Sr, and Pb from the desired Ra; wherein said extraction chromatography has an extractant system on the basis of a crown ether. The invention is further related to a method for recycling of 226Ra, for target preparation for 225Ac production from radium sources irradiated with accelerated protons (p,2n), after separation of the produced 225AC. In this method a combination of the above extraction chromatography and a cation exchange chromatography is used. The obtained 226Ra is essentially free of the following chemical contaminants consisting of Ag, Al, As, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, Zn, and Ba.