Leaching under Oxygen Pressure with Carbonate Solution Reduction by Hydrogen; LIXIVIATION OXYDANTE DES PECHBLENDES ET PRECIPITATION DE L'URANIUM PAR L'HYDROGENE. APPLICATION AUX MINERAIS PAUVRES FRANCAIS

Technical Report · Sat Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1959

OSTI ID:4281764

Balaceanu, J C; Coussemant, F; Mouret, P

A study was made of the basic characteristics of the leaching with carbonate solution under oxygen pressure and of the catalytic hydrogen reduction of low-grade French ores. Pure U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ was used in the investigations on leaching. The effects of oxygen pressure, temperature, initial surface of the oxide, surfuce during the course of the reaction, and concentration of the carbonate solution were determined. It was shown that the heterogeneous reactions involve a constant surface and two steps. A pilot plant experiment was made on a number of low-grade French ores. With ores the leaching is not sensitive to oxygen pressure. Dilute solutions of sodium uranyl carbonate are obtained from the leaching. The uranium can be precipitated as an oxide of a lower valent state by catalytic reduction with hydrogen. The study of this step was made on pure solutions of sodium uranyl carbonate in the presence of nickel and platinum catalysts. The reaction is strongly modified by the presence of even low concentrations of sodium bicarbonate. The reaction velocity increases with hydrogen pressure up to 5 atm, but then becomes independent of the pressure. The precipitation is accelerated by an increase in temperature. (J.S.R.)

• Research Organization: Inst. Francais de Petrole, Paris; Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Paris
• NSA Number: NSA-13-007319
• OSTI ID: 4281764
• Report Number(s): A/CONF.15/P/1256
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CATALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
FABRICATION
HYDROGEN
LEACHING
NICKEL
ORE PROCESSING
OXYGEN
PILOT PLANT
PLATINUM
PRECIPITATION
PRESSURE
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
REACTION KINETICS
REDUCTION
SODIUM CARBONATES
SOLUTIONS
SURFACES
TECHNOLOGY
TEMPERATURE
U3O8
URANIUM ORES
URANIUM OXIDES
URANYL COMPOUNDS
VELOCITY