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US 4,292,279 AGranted
Production of high purity uranium compounds from crude yellow cake
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorRobert E. Reusser
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Abstract
High purity ammonium uranyl tricarbonate is produced from crude plant yellow cake by treatment of the yellow cake with a mineral acid, neutralization of the acidic solution with a conversion of the uranium therein to ammonium uranyl tricarbonate, precipitation of the ammonium uranyl tricarbonate with a non-solvent, followed by separation. Optionally, the ammonium uranyl tricarbonate can be calcined to produce high purity uranium oxides.
Claims8
A process for the production of high purity uranium salts from crude yellow cake which comprises the steps of:
- (a) dissolving of crude yellow cake with an effective amount of aqueous mineral acid selected from sulfuric, hydrochloric, nitric, and phosphoric acids, thereby forming an aqueous acidic solution containing dissolved uranium,
- (b) adding, to the said acidic solution containing dissolved uranium, sufficient ammonium uranyl tricarbonate-forming components to thereby substantially convert the uranium in said acidic solution to ammonium uranyl tricarbonate, wherein said ammonium uranyl tricarbonate forming materials are selected from ammonia, carbon dioxide, ammonium carbonate, ammonium carbamate, carbamic acid, ammonium bicarbonate, and mixtures of these,
- (c) treating said solution containing ammonium uranyl tricarbonate with a water-soluble organic lower alcohol or ketone in amounts and under conditions effective to precipitate said ammonium uranyl tricarbonate, and
- (d) separating said precipitated ammonium uranyl tricarbonate as a solid ammonium uranyl tricarbonate leaving an aqueous filtrate.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.