ALKALINE LEACH PROCESSING OF A SUBGRADE CALCAREOUS URANIUM ORE

Technical Report · Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1963

OSTI ID:4041242

Tame, K E

An alkaline leaching procedure for recovering uranium from a submarginal 0.1 percent U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ calcareous carnotite ore from the Shiprock, N. Mex., area was investigated. A recovery of 72 percent of the uranium was attained in a preliminary test embodying the commonly accepted practice of (1) alkaline leaching at 90 deg C, (2) multiple stage filtration and washing for recovery of a clear pregnant solution, and (3) caustic precipitation of uranium as sodium diuranate, with recycle of the barren solution to the leaching and washing circuits. Ion exchange resins were used in a second, less orthodox test that comprised (1) sodium carbonate leaching of minus 10-mesh ore at 90 deg C to dissolve the uranium, (2) filtration to recover the leaching reagent for reuse, (3) recovery of the uranium-bearing solution in the filter cake as a pregnant slime slurry by repulping of the filter cake followed by a sand-slime separation and countercurrent decantation (CCD) washing for rejection of the sand fraction, (4) recovery of the dissolved uranium from the pregnant slime slurry by resinin- pump (HIP), (5) elution of the uranium from the resin with a solution of ammonium chloride acidified with hydrochloric acid, and (6) precipitation of the uranium with ammonia gas. About 83 percent of the uranium was extracted from the ore and 95.5 percent of the dissolved uranium recovered by ion exchange. Improved laboratory results were obtained using the RIP process, but larger scale tests would be necessary for economic evaluation of the two processes. (auth)

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines. Salt Lake City Metallurgy Research Center
• NSA Number: NSA-18-017926
• OSTI ID: 4041242
• Report Number(s): BM-RI-6409
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-64
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CHEMISTRY
ACIDITY
ADSORPTION
AMMONIA
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARNOTITE
CHEMICALS
CHLORIDES
COUNTER CURRENT
ECONOMICS
EFFICIENCY
FILTERS
GASES
GRAIN SIZE
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
ION EXCHANGE
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
LEACHING
MIXING
OPERATION
ORE PROCESSING
PRECIPITATION
QUANTITY RATIO
RECOVERY
RESIDUES
RESINS
SAND
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SLURRIES
SODIUM CARBONATES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
SOLUTIONS
TESTING
U3O8
URANATES
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM MINERALS
USES
VANADIUM OXIDES
WATER