Uranium complex recycling method of purifying uranium liquors. [ceramic grade U by recycling (NH/sub 4/)/sub 4/UO/sub 2/(CO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ from wet-process phosphoric acid]
Uranium is separated from contaminating cations in an aqueous liquor containing uranyl ions. The liquor is mixed with sufficient recycled uranium complex to raise the weight ratio of uranium to said cations preferably to at least about three. The liquor is then extracted with at least enough non-interfering, water-immiscible, organic solvent to theoretically extract about all of the uranium in the liquor. The organic solvent contains a reagent which reacts with the uranyl ions to form a complex soluble in the solvent. If the aqueous liquor is acidic, the organic solvent is then scrubbed with water. The organic solvent is stripped with a solution containing at least enough ammonium carbonate to precipitate the uranium complex. A portion of the uranium complex is recycled and the remainder can be collected and calcined to produce U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ or UO/sub 2/.
- Assignee:
- Westinghouse Electric Corp.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3966873
- Application Number:
- TRN: 76-021745
- OSTI ID:
- 7352170
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 1 Nov 1973
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
URANIUM
PURIFICATION
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
FERTILIZERS
INTERFERING ELEMENTS
PHOSPHORIC ACID
RECOVERY
TOPO
URANYL COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
EXTRACTION
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
METALS
MIXTURES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
050400* - Nuclear Fuels- Feed Processing
400702 - Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry- Properties of Radioactive Materials
400105 - Separation Procedures