Abstract
A thermodynamical and pyrometallurgical study to recover uranium from the phosphate ores was undertaken using the chloride volatilization method. Iron was chlorinated with solid chlorinating agents such as NaC1 and CaCl2 in combination with activated carbon, which will be used for removing this element from the ore, but uranium was not. On the other hand, the chlorination using Cl2 gas and activated carbon gave a good result at 1,223 K. Not only uranium but also iron, phosphorus, aluminum and silicon were found to form volatile chlorides which vaporized out of the ore, while calcium remained in the ore as non-volatile CaCl2. The chlorination condition was studied as functions of temperature, reaction time and carbon content. The volatilization ratio of uranium around 95% was obtained by heating the mixture of the ore and activated carbon (35 wt%) in a mixed gas flow of Cl2 (200 ml/min) and N2 (200 ml/min) at 1,223 K for 120 min.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 880-888 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | journal of nuclear science and technology |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1995 Sep |
Keywords
- Chloride volatility process
- Chlorination
- Chlorine
- Ore processing
- Phosphate rocks
- Pyrometal- lurgy
- Reaction time
- Solid chlorinating agent
- Temperature dependence
- Thermodynamics
- Uranium chlorides
- Uranium ores
- Volatility
- Volatilization separation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Nuclear Energy and Engineering