Processes for extraction of uranium and radium from uranium-containing ores using ferric nitrate

Patent · Tue Mar 10 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6688085

Nirdosh, I

A process is described for the extraction of both uranium and radium from uranium ores in the presence of an interfering sulfate ion resulting from the presence of sulfide therein by use of an aqueous ferric nitrate leachant including the steps of: (a) mechanically treating the finely ground ore for the removal of sulfide therefrom; (b) leaching the mechanically treated finely ground ore with aqueous acidic ferric nitrate solution in a concentration from 0.01 to 0.1M for the removal of uranium and radium therefrom to result in a liquid ferric nitrate leachate containing radium and uranium and a wet cake containing radium, uranium and ferric nitrate; (c) treating the ferric nitrate leachate to separate uranium and radium therefrom; (d) separately treating the wet cake for removal of retained ferric nitrate and the residual radium and uranium therefrom; and (e) recirculating a major portion of the ferric nitrate leachate from step (c) for the leaching of more of the mechanically treated finely ground ore.

• Assignee: NOV; EDB-87-070824; NOV-87-051339
• Patent Number(s): US 4649029
• OSTI ID: 6688085
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050400* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Feed Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
DISPERSIONS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
EXTRACTION
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON NITRATES
LEACHING
METALS
MIXTURES
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
QUANTITY RATIO
RADIUM
REMOVAL
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SOLVENT PROPERTIES
SULFATES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
URANIUM
URANIUM ORES