Extraction of uranium from Marysvale ores Q4, Q5, Q6 AND Q7, The

Abstract

This report describes the investigation of uranium recovery from Marysvale ores Q4, 5, 6 and 7. The test work indicates that uranium recoveries of 88 to 98 per cent may be obtained by cold sulfuric acid leaching and anion exchange. Cold carbonate leaching does not appear as promising as acid leaching. A locked-batch cyclic acid leaching and ion exchange test showed no detectable change in the adsorptive characteristics of the resin over 21 cycles of operation. Methods designed to produce a satisfactory grade of final product from the leach liquor by selective precipitation did not give recoveries or product grades comparable to those obtained by ion exchange. Methods of producing high purity final products from ion exchange eluates are described. Preliminary lyometallurgical tests indicate that the uranium may be readily recovered from these ores by solvent leaching after static digestion at 85 to 90 percent solids with sulfuric acid.