USE OF THE HIGGINS CONTINUOUS ION EXCHANGE CONTACTOR IN RECOVERING URANIUM FROM AQUEOUS SLURRIES
Flowsheets are presented for recovering U from unfiltered H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/---or carbonate-leached ore pulps, at a rate of 100 tons of ore per day, in a Higgins continuous ionexchange contactor. In the experimental work on which the flowsheets were based, approximately 5 ft of Permutit SK-20 was required to maintain a U loss of less than i% with resin U loadings of 40 to 50 g/liter and feed flow rates of 300 to 600 gal/hr/ft/sup 2/, or with 20 g/liter and a flow rate of up to 900 gal/hr/ft/sup 2/. When the loading was 30 g/liter or more, a higher column was required as the flow rate in creased, but resin loading was more important than flow rate in determining the column height. Loading column data indicated almost identical performance of the 2-, 6-, and 12-in.-dia contactors. With the sulfate-loaded resin, product U concentrations were 60 g/ liter with the 5M NaCl---water elution scheme, 15 g/liter with 1M NaCl eluant, and 20 g/liter with 1M NH/sub 4/NO/sub 3/ eluant. Reagent consumptions were 0.5 lb of NaCl, 3.5 lb of NaCl, and 4 lb of NH/sub 4/NO/sub 3/, respectively, per pound of U. The elution efficiency of recycled NH/sub 4/NO/sub 3/ was reduced because of sulfate accumulation. The 5M NaCl was recovered for reuse by removing sulfate with 1.5 lb of CaCl/sub 2/ per pound of U processed. With the carbonate- loaded resin, elution with 1M NaHCO/sub 3/ gave a product conthining 25 g of U per liter and used 1.5 lb of NaHCO/sub 3. per pound of U. With pulps containing 10% suspended solids, 10-20 mesh resin was satisfactory when less than i% of the solids was sand greater than 200 mesh. With 5% pulps, 20-40 mesh resin was used when less than 1% was greater than 325 mesh. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- NSA Number:
- NSA-12-000148
- OSTI ID:
- 4335749
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-1918
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Decl. Sept. 9, 1957. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-58
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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