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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Process for recovering uranium from wet process phosphoric acid

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6311656

The invention is an improvement in the process for recovering uranyl uranium from solutions in which the uranyl uranium is recovered with an liquid-liquid solvent extraction agent dissolved in an inert solvent, the loaded agent scrubbed with water, the scrubbed agent stripped with ammonium carbonate solution to form a slurry of ammonium uranyl tricarbonate, the stripped agent returned to the liquid-liquid solvent extraction step, and the ammonium uranyl tricarbonate calcined to a uranium oxide product, the improvement which comprises stripping the uranium from the ion exchange agent with an alkali metal carbonate rather than ammonium carbonate, scrubbing the loaded agent with acidified alkali carbonate strip solution prior to stripping, and regenerating the stripped liquid-liquid solvent extraction agent with a mineral acid before return to the liquidliquid solvent extraction circuit.

Assignee:
Earth Sciences Inc.
Patent Number(s):
US 4258014
OSTI ID:
6311656
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English