Method for recovering aluminum fluoride from fluorine-containing aqueous aluminum nitrate solutions

In a process for converting UF.sub.6 into UO.sub.2 wherein UF.sub.6 is brought into contact with an aqueous aluminum nitrate solution to thereby produce an intermediate solution containing aluminum fluoride, uranyl nitrate and residual aluminum nitrate, and wherein the uranyl nitrate is removed from said intermediate solution to present a resultant solution containing aluminum fluoride and aluminum nitrate, the improvement of which comprises:

• adding a sufficient quantity of hydrofluoric acid to the resultant solution to substantially minimize the solubility of aluminum fluoride therein and thereby produce a substantially uranium-free aluminum fluoride precipitate and an uranium-containing aqueous solution;
• and thereafter
• separately recovering the substantially uranium-free aluminum fluoride precipitate thus produced.

In a process for converting UF.sub.6 into UO.sub.2 wherein UF.sub.6 is subjected to hydrolysis to produce UO.sub.2 F.sub.2 and the latter is brought into contact with an aqueous aluminum nitrate solution to thereby produce an intermediate solution containing aluminum fluoride, uranyl nitrate and residual aluminum nitrate, and wherein the uranyl nitrate is removed from said intermediate solution to present a resultant solution containing aluminum fluoride and aluminum nitrate, the improvement of which comprises:

• adding a sufficient quantity of hydrofluoric acid to the resultant solution to substantially minimize the solubility of aluminum fluoride therein and thereby produce a substantially uranium-free aluminum fluoride precipitate and an uranium-containing aqueous solution;
• and thereafter
• separately recovering the substantially uranium-free aluminum fluoride precipitate thus produced.