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RECOVERY OF URANIUM FROM RAND GOLD ORES

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4060691
Cyanide residue samples from the Blyvooruitzicht and Western Reefs' mills were treated by a single-stage leach to extract uranium. The uranium was recovered by a selective precipitation process involving reduction with iron and the addition of a phosphate and by precipitation with calcined dolomite and retreating the precipitate by the acid digestionperoxide or the carbonate leaching process. Emphasis was placed on cyclic locked-batch tests and the use of the 80/sub 2/air process for producing leaching reagents. It was found that when Rand leach solutions were passed over strongbase anion exchange resins, uranium was completely and selectively adsorbed. Uranium was taken off the resin with an acidified NH/sub 4/Cl solution and precipitated with NH/sub 3/. The solution was then acidified with HCl and reused. The total cost of the resin makeup and reagents for elution was only a few cents per pound of uranium. (auth)
Research Organization:
Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Watertown. Mineral Engineering Lab.
NSA Number:
NSA-15-014337
OSTI ID:
4060691
Report Number(s):
MITG-A100
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English