EXPERIMENTATION ON THE EXTRACTION OF URANIUM FROM WESTERN ORES. 1. PRESSURE DIGESTION TESTS WITH SODIUM CARBONATE AND SODIUM BICARBONATE. 2. PRECIPITATION TESTS
Previous reports have described work on Colorado carnotites in which over 90% of the U and 15% of the V were extracted by boiling Na/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ solutions with alkali usages of 50 to 120 lbs/t of ore. The present report describes a number of tests in which leaching temperatures of 115 deg C and 125 deg C were tried. Equally good extractions were obtained at 115 deg C (10 psi) with about 30% less alkali than was required at 100 deg C. The tests at 125 deg C (30 psi) did not show any advantage over the 115 deg C tests. A 2-stage, countercurrent digestion at 115 deg C with a net soda ash usage of 60 lbs/t of ore gave an extraction of over 90% of the U. On an equal weight basis NaHCO/sub 3/ was not so effective as Na/sub 2/CO/sub 3/. The results of several precipitation tests are given. U precipitation was complete on acidifying the carbonate solution to a pH of 5.0. Further acidification to about a pH of 3.0 was necessary to completely procipitate the V. Precipitation of the U directly from the carbonate solution required a very large excess of NaOH (7.5 grams/gram of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/). (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Union Carbide and Carbon Research Labs., Niagara Falls, N.Y.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-12-006546
- OSTI ID:
- 4309591
- Report Number(s):
- AECD-3767; M-4757
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Changed from OFFICIAL USE ONLY Jan. 23, 1957. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-58
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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