Abstract:
The invention relates to a process for the chemical beneficiation of raw material containing tantalum-niobium such as wastes, scoria, concentrates and ores.
Abstract:
Uranium is leached from water slurries of uranium ore by incorporating a mixture of sulfur dioxide and air therein to provide the oxidizing and acidifying requirements to accomplish leaching.
Abstract:
A process for the recovery of uranium from spent shale by treating the spent shale with a compound selected from the group consisting of methanol, a mixture of methanol and water, and a mixture of methanol and sodium methoxide at between about 240.degree. and 450.degree. C. and atmospheric pressure or higher. The treated spent shale is then leached with an aqueous acid solution such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, or nitric acid to remove 90% of the uranium from the spent shale and the leached uranium is recovered from the acid solution in a manner known per se.
Abstract:
A process for recovering one or more non-radioactive transition metal compounds from an ore containing one or more compounds of said transition metal or metals and further containing at least one complex of a member selected from the group consisting of uranium, thorium, radium, titanium, and rare earth metals, which comprises decomposing said ore in crushed condition by means of an acid so that a portion of the ore is brought into solution in a liquid phase and another portion of the ore remains in a solid phase, said compound or compounds of the transition metal or metals to be recovered passing into only the liquid or into only the solid phase, the uranium in the crushed ore being treated so as to cause substantially all of said uranium to be present in an oxidation state in which it cannot, during the decomposition step, pass into the phase containing the transition metal compound or compounds.
Abstract:
Uranium ores, concentrates, calcines or tailings are processed to remove radium and thorium as well as uranium. Selected ores, concentrates or tailings, or if more appropriate, chlorination calcines thereof, are leached by selected aqueous chlorine-containing media (preferably in two stages) until uranium, radium and thorium are substantially all dissolved, with the insoluble residual solids being suitable for disposal. The leach solution is treated to recover sequentially uranium, usually thorium, and radium by selected techniques. The radium recovered can be disposed of in any environmentally-acceptable manner. The amount of iron in the residual leach liquor should be controlled to avoid iron build-up, with the barren leach solution being suitable for recycle.
Abstract:
Method and apparatus for leaching and precipitating metal values from a metal bearing solid in which the solid is simultaneously crushed and acid leached in a vibratory grinding mill, and the pulp thus produced is subjected to a simultaneous leaching and precipitation step in a vibratory reactor into which there is introduced a metal which is higher in the electromotive series than the metal to be recovered, together with controlled amounts of water.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a process for converting oxides to sulfates. The contemplated oxides are slowly soluble or insoluble in acids and/or lyes, particularly the oxides found in nuclear fuel and/or breeder material. The oxides are mixed with a sulfate and a disulfate (pyrosulfate) and heated to between about 650* C and 800* C for a comparatively short time. The amount of disulfate should be at least stoichiometric.