CONTROLLED ACID - STRONG ACID STRIP PROCESS

摘要

The present invention is concerned with a controlled multi-stage process for the stripping of uranium, which comprises introducing at one end of a solvent extraction device a uranium loaded organic solution, and introducing a stripping acidic aqueous solution at the other end of the extraction device, so that the aqueous solution and the organic solution are contacted counter-currently in the device; each stage comprising the steps of: a) separating partly stripped organic solution from stripping aqueous solution; b) adding acid to the stripping aqueous solution until the acid concentration is substantially that of the acidic aqueous solution introduced at the one end of the extraction device; c) processing the partly stripped organic solution and the stripping aqueous solution of step b) in the next stage, the next stage of the organic solution being in an opposite direction in the solvent extraction device of the next stage of the aqueous solution; d) repeating steps a) - c) until substantially all the uranium in the organic solution has been removed; and e) recovering the uranium from the resultant pregnant stripping aqueous solution.