Process for uranium separation and preparation of UO/sub 4/. 2NH/sub 3/. 2HF. [Effluents from UF/sub 6/. -->. UO/sub 2/ conversion]
A process for treating the aqueous effluents that are produced in converting gaseous UF/sub 6/ (uranium hexafluoride) into solid UO/sub 2/ (uranium dioxide) by way of an intermediate (NH/sub 4/)/sub 4/ UO/sub 2/ (CO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ (''AUC'' Compound) is disclosed. These effluents, which contain large amounts of NH/sub 4//sup +/, CO/sub 3//sup 2 -/, F/sup -/, and a small amount of U are mixed with H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ (sulfuric acid) in order to expel CO/sub 2/ (carbon dioxide) and thereby reduce the carbonate concentration. The uranium is precipitated through treatment with H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ (hydrogen peroxide) and the fluoride is easily recovered in the form of CaF/sub 2/ (calcium fluoride) by contacting the process liquid with CaO (calcium oxide). The presence of SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ (sulfate) in the process liquid during CaO contacting seems to prevent the development of a difficult-to-filter colloid. The process also provides for NH/sub 3/ recovery and recycling. Liquids discharged from the process, moreover, are essentially free of environmental pollutants. The waste treatment products, i.e., CO/sub 2/, NH/sub 3/, and U are economically recovered and recycled back into the UF/sub 6/ ..-->.. UO/sub 2/ conversion process. The process, moreover, recovers the uranium as a precipitate in the second stage. This precipitate is a new inorganic chemical compound UO/sub 4/.2NH/sub 3/.2HF (uranyl peroxide-2-ammonia-2-(hydrogen fluoride)).
- Assignee:
- Babcock and Wilcox Co.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3980757
- OSTI ID:
- 7143845
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
AMMONIA
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM OXIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONVERSION
ELEMENTS
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
INORGANIC ACIDS
MANAGEMENT
METALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PEROXIDES
PRECIPITATION
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SULFURIC ACID
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM FLUORIDES
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
URANIUM OXIDES
URANYL COMPOUNDS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING