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

Recovery of uranium from phosphate rocks

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6654998
The economics of recovering U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ as the primary product from phosphate rock were investigated. Factored cost estimation, with an accuracy of 30%, results in a production cost of $263 per pound of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/. Recovery operations include the purchase of beneficiated 32% P/sub 2/O/sub 5/ rock, H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ production from sulfur, and extraction of uranium by the DEPA-TOPO process. Sale of byproducts could reduce the cost significantly, but this is complicated by the possible over-production of H/sub 3/PO/sub 4/ which results in storage and disposal problems.
Research Organization:
Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Oak Ridge, TN (USA). School of Chemical Engineering Practice
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
6654998
Report Number(s):
ORNL/MIT-267
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English