Recovering mineral values from ores
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorsRobert L. Horton, George V. Lakey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Mineral values, particularly uranium, are recovered from mineral containing ore by separating the ore into a coarse fraction and a fines fraction, adding a diluent solid material, such as a portion of barren coarse fraction to the fines fraction and leaching the thus diluted fines fraction with a leach solution. The coarse fraction is separately leached, preferably under mild conditions of temperature and leach solution concentration. In another aspect, the total ore is leached, preferably under mild conditions, the thus leached ore is separated into a coarse fraction and a fines fraction, the fines fraction is again leached and at least a part of the leached fines fraction from the second leach step is recycled to the first leach step.
Claims18
A method for recovering uranium values from ground uranium-containing ore, comprising:
- (a) separating said ore into coarse and fines fractions;
- (b) adding to said fines fraction a diluent solid material, selected from the group consisting of (1) inert solids, (2) a barren part of said coarse fraction produced by leaching said coarse fraction to recover uranium therefrom to its economic or practical limit, and (3) a barren part of said coarse fraction produced by roasting said coarse fraction to recover uranium therefrom to its economic or practical limit, said diluent material having a particle size roughly equivalent to the particle size of said coarse fraction;
- (c) contacting the mixture of said fines fraction and said diluent solid material with a first leachant selected from the group consisting of (1) an aqueous alkaline solution containing an oxidant and (2) an aqueous acidic solution containing an oxidant, adapted to solvate a significant amount of said uranium values, in at least one mixed fines/diluent solid leaching step;
- and
- (d) separating a pregnant leach solution, containing the thus solvated uranium values, from residual solids.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.