US 4,775,413 A · Concentration and recovery of mineral values from ores

Abstract

An ore containing an increased percentage of mineral values, particularly uranium values, is separated from an ore containing a lower percentage of such mineral values by contacting the ore containing the lower percentage of mineral values with a polar solvent, particularly water, and a nonpolar solvent, such as an isoparaffin mixture, and separating a polar solvent phase containing a portion of the contacted ore from a nonpolar solvent containing another portion of the contacted ore. The ore may be a total ore containing both coarse and fines or a fines fraction which has been separated from a total ore as by wet classification. Where a total ore is treated in accordance with the present invention, in one embodiment of the invention, a coarse ore fraction can be separated from the total ore either during the contacting step or the separating step. A method of recovering mineral values from a ground ore is disclosed, which includes recovering such mineral values from an ore fraction which has been enriched in such mineral values as set forth above.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method for upgrading a ground, raw ore containing mineral values, comprising:

(a) contacting said raw ore with both a polar solvent and a nonpolar solvent, which solvents are immiscible with one another, to form a mixture of said raw ore, said polar solvent and said nonpolar solvent;
(b) said polar solvent and said nonpolar solvent being present in amounts sufficient to form two, immiscible, separable, liquid phases;
(c) settling the thus formed mixture for a time sufficient to effect separation of two immiscible liquid phases, including;
a liquid, polar solvent phase, containing an ore fraction having a lower percentage of said mineral values than said raw ore, and a liquid, nonpolar solvent phase, containing an ore fraction having a higher percentage of said mineral values than said raw ore;
and
(d) separating said polar solvent phase from said nonpolar solvent phase.

3 more elements

A method for upgrading a ground, raw ore containing mineral values and recovering said mineral values from the upgraded ore, comprising:

(a) contacting said raw ore with both a polar solvent and a nonpolar solvent, which solvents are immiscible with one another, to form a mixture of said raw ore, said polar solvent and said nonpolar solvent;
(b) said polar solvent and said nonpolar solvent being present in amounts sufficient to form two, immiscible, separable, liquid phases;
(c) settling the thus formed mixture for a time sufficient to effect separation of two immiscible liquid phases, including;
a liquid, polar solvent phase, containing an ore fraction having a lower percentage of said mineral values than said raw ore, and a liquid, nonpolar solvent phase, containing an ore fraction having a higher percentage of said mineral values than said raw ore;
(d) separating said polar solvent phase from said nonpolar solvent phase;
(e) further separating said polar solvent from said ore fraction having a lower percentage of said mineral values;
(f) further separating said nonpolar solvent from said ore fraction having a higher percentage of said mineral values;
and
(g) recovering said mineral values from one of (1) both said ore fraction having a higher percentage of said mineral values and said ore fraction having a lower percentage of mineral values, and (2) said ore fraction having a higher percentage of mineral values.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Concentration and recovery of mineral values from ores

Life of this patent

Concentration and recovery of mineral values from ores

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22