PROCESS OF RECOVERING URANIUM FROM ITS ORES

Patent · Wed Oct 30 04:00:00 EST 1957

OSTI ID:4822334

The crushed ore is mixed with 5 to l0% of sulfuric acid and added water to about 5 to 30% of the weight of the ore. This pugged material is cured for 2 to 3 hours at 100 to 110 deg C and then cooled. The cooled mass is nitrateconditioned by mixing with a solution equivalent to 35 pounds of ammonium nitrate and 300 pounds of water per ton of ore. The resulting pulp containing 70% or more solids is treated by upflow percolation with a 5% solution of tributyl phosphate in kerosene at a rate equivalent to a residence time of about one hour to extract the solubilized uranium. The uranium is recovered from the pregnant organic liquid by countercurrent washing with water. The organic extractant may be recycled. The uranium is removed from the water solution by treating with ammonia to precipitate ammonium diuranate. The filtrate from the last step may be recycled for the nitrate-conditioning treatment.

• Research Organization: Originating Research Org. not identified
• NSA Number: NSA-16-005422
• OSTI ID: 4822334
• Report Number(s): AU 223777
• Country of Publication: Australia
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AMMONIA
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
COOLING
COUNTER CURRENT
EXTRACTION COLUMNS
FILTERS
GRAIN SIZE
IMPURITIES
LIQUIDS
MIXING
NITRATES
ORE PROCESSING
ORES
PETROLEUM
POWDERS
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLIDS
SOLUBILITY
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SULFURIC ACID
TEMPERATURE
URANATES
URANIUM
URANIUM ORES
WATER