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Treatment of uranium leach plant solutions by liquid‐liquid extraction to produce high purity uranium products
Author(s) -
Simard R.,
Gilmore A. J.,
McNamara V. M.,
Parsons H. W.,
Smith H. W.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450390602
Subject(s) - uranium , extraction (chemistry) , chemistry , pilot plant , ammonium phosphate , reagent , ammonium , ion exchange resin , liquid–liquid extraction , phosphate , ion exchange , nitric acid , nuclear chemistry , chromatography , waste management , metallurgy , materials science , inorganic chemistry , fertilizer , ion , organic chemistry , engineering
Three liquid‐liquid extraction processes were tested in continuous equipment, on bench scale, to determine their relative merits in the purification of uranium as found in ion exchange eluates of various Canadian leach plants. Tri‐n‐butyl phosphate and dibutyl butylphosphonate were used as extractants on nitrate eluates. A tertiary amine was used in the case of sulphuric acid eluates. Optimum conditions for high recovery and low reagent costs were established, and the adaptability of the processes to existing leach plants is discussed. The suitability of the ammonium diuranate product as a source of ceramic‐grade UO 2 was also investigated. Suggested changes to the adopted flowsheets are given, for further testing on a pilot plant scale.