Method of reducing radioactive waste and of recovering uranium from it
AssigneeWyoming Mineral Corporation
InventorsJames G. Cleary, Gregory E. Zymboly
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is described for reducing the volume of radioactive waste produced during the solution mining of uranium and for recovering uranium from it. The recovery leach, which contains uranium in solution and is supersaturated with calcium carbonate, is treated with bicarbonate and made basic which precipitates calcium carbonate and some of the uranium. The precipitated calcium carbonate is dissolved with acid and the uranium in the solution is removed by extraction or precipitation. The remaining solution is contacted with sulfate ions and barium or strontium ions to precipitate BaSO.sub.4.RaSO.sub.4 or SrSO.sub.4.RaSO.sub.4, the principal radioactive constituent in the solid waste product.
Claims12
In a process for recovering uranium from a recovery leach supersaturated with calcium carbonate, an improved method of recovering uranium from said recovery leach and of reducing radioactive waste containing radium, comprising
- (1) precipitating calcium carbonate from said recovery leach;
- (2) separating said precipitated calcium carbonate from said recovery leach;
- (3) dissolving said precipitated calcium carbonate with acid to form a solution of radium, uranium, and calcium carbonate;
- (4) removing said uranium from said solution;
- (5) precipitating MSO.sub.4. RaSO.sub.4 from said solution by adding SO.sub.4 .sup.= and M.sup.++ ions, where M is Ba or Sr;
- and
- (6) separating said precipitated MSO.sub.4. RaSO.sub.4 from said solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.