Method of recovering uranium

摘要

Uranium is recovered from a carbonate leach solution containing a dissolved uranium salt and a monovalent ion. The pH of the leach solution is adjusted to about 5 to about 7.5, and preferably to about 6 to about 7. Phosphate ion is then added to typical in-situ leach solutions in an amount from about 10 to about 30 mole % in excess of the amount needed to stoichiometrically react with the uranium in said solution. This results in the precipitation of a compound made up of the monovalent ion, uranium, and the phosphate ion, which is insoluble in the solution. The precipitate is then separated from the solution preferably by means of a centrifuge or a vortex clarifier. It can then be dissolved in acid, and the uranium extracted into an organic solvent such as DEHPA-TOPA in kerosene.