Extraction of uranium from wet-process phosphoric acid

A process for the extraction of uranium compounds from wet-process phosphoric acid (WPA), the process comprising:

• lowering the iron content of WPA to produce a lowered iron WPA;
• reducing the valency of iron in the lowered iron WPA to produce a reduced iron valency WPA;
• and
• extracting uranium compounds from the reduced iron valency WPA,
• wherein lowering the iron content of the WPA comprises precipitating the iron as an iron ammonium phosphate compound;
• wherein reducing the valency of iron in the WPA comprises reducing ferric iron to ferrous iron by contacting the WPA with one or more substances selected from the group consisting of:
• a ferro-phosphorous compound, a ferro-silicon compound, and metallic iron, and
• wherein extracting uranium compounds comprises an ion exchange process comprising passing the WPA through a multi-stage chelating ion exchange column system and eluting the ion exchange column system.

A process for the extraction of uranium compounds from wet-process phosphoric acid (WPA), the process comprising:

• lowering iron content of WPA by precipitating iron to produce a lowered iron content WPA;
• adding a reducing agent to the lowered iron content WPA to reduce the valency of any remaining iron in the lowered iron content WPA and produce a reduced iron valency WPA;
• and
• extracting uranium compounds dissolved in the reduced iron valency WPA using an ion exchange process by contacting the reduced iron valency WPA with an ion exchange resin and eluting the ion exchange resin.