Process for the separation and recovery of molybdenum and uranium from leach solution using ion exchange
AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation
InventorsRaymond J. Jan, Alistair H. Montgomery
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Abstract
A process is described for recovering uranium from a pregnant lixiviant containing uranium values and a certain portion of molybdenum values comprising passing the pregnant lixiviant through an anion-exchange resin to capture the uranium and molybdenum values on the resin, eluting the uranium and molybdenum values from the resin with a salt solution, passing the eluate through a weak acid cationic resin in its hydrogen form to capture the uranium values on the resin and treating and resulting eluate to precipitate uranium therefrom to produce the familiar "yellow-cake."
Claims6
A process for the recovery of uranium from uranium-containing ore which also contains molybdenum, comprising:
- leaching said ore to form uranium and molybdenum values;
- passing the leachate through an anion-exchange resin to capture said uranium and said molybdenum values;
- eluting said resin with a salt solution containing an anion capable of replacing said uranium and said molybdenum values;
- passing the eluate through a weak acid cationic resin in its hydrogen form to capture said uranium values;
- eluting said cationic resin with an acid solution capable of replacing said uranium values to recover said uranium values free of molybdenum values;
- and
- treating the eluate containing values to precipitate uranium therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.