Process for removing uranium and other metals from wastes
AssigneeI.C. + Technologies Ltd.
InventorsJohn Litz, Nicholas J. Lombardo, Robert L. Schwartz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for removing metals from a waste including uranium and a second metal comprising dissolving the uranium and the second metal in a first aqueous solution, removing the dissolved uranium from the first aqueous solution by redissolving in an organic solvent, stripping the uranium from the organic solvent by redissolving in a second aqueous solution, precipitating the uranium from the second aqueous solution, and removing the second metal from the first aqueous solution.
Claims22
A process for removing uranium and a non-actinide second metal contained in a waste, comprising:
- dissolving the uranium and the second metal in a first acidic aqueous solution;
- removing the dissolved uranium from the first acidic aqueous solution by extraction using an organic solvent;
- stripping the uranium from the organic solvent by redissolving in a second aqueous solution;
- precipitating the uranium from the second aqueous solution;
- and
- removing the second metal from the first aqueous solution.
A process for removing uranium and copper from an aqueous waste, comprising:
- dissolving the uranium and copper in a multi-stage acid leaching process using sulfuric and nitric acids, in which solids are removed at each leaching stage, and the remaining liquid is returned to the previous leaching stage for all but the first leaching stage;
- removing the dissolved uranium from the liquid from the first leaching stage using a countercurrent multi-stage uranium solvent extraction process;
- stripping the uranium from the solvent using an aqueous soda ash solution for dissolving the uranium therein;
- returning the remaining stripped solvent to the solvent extraction process;
- precipitating uranium peroxide from the aqueous soda ash solution with an acid and hydrogen peroxide;
- calcining the precipitated uranium peroxide to convert it to uranium trioxide;
- electrowinning copper from the liquid from the first leaching stage after solvent extraction;
- reducing and precipitating copper in the liquid after electrowinning using an iron-exchange cementation process;
- neutralizing the liquid after cementation;
- and
- concentrating the neutralized liquid by evaporation to produce a disposable slurry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.