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U.S. Department of Energy
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Method of recovering uranium from wet process phosphoric acid with enhanced content of uranium

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6708963

In preparing wet process phosphoric acid by decomposing a phosphate rock containing uranium with sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid on condition that hemihydrate gypsum is formed in an acid solution either at the stage of decomposing the phosphate rock or subsequently, uranium contained in the phosphate rock can almost entirely be retained in the obtained phosphoric acid solution by forming the hemihydrate gypsum in the presence of an oxidizing agent, such as a soluble chlorate, hydrogen peroxide or oxygen gas, in the acid solution in a quantity sufficient to render the entire uranium dissolved in the acid solution hexavalent because hemihydrate gypsum adsorbs almost exclusively tetravalent ions of uranium. The uranium is then recovered.

Assignee:
Central Glass Co. Ltd. (Japan)
Patent Number(s):
US 4427641
OSTI ID:
6708963
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English