Column leaching of uranium ore with fungal metabolic products and uranium recovery by ion exchange

Abstract

To verifying the feasibility of uranium recovery with fungal metabolic products in large-scale applications, column leaching and ion exchange of uranium was carried out. The uranium recovery reached 81.76 % in 14 days. The ion exchange curve for the leach solution obtained with the metabolic products of Aspergillus niger was in the shape of a wave. The elution curve was similar to that of leaching with H2SO4. The results indicate that leaching with the metabolic products of A. niger is a promising and environmentally friendly method for exploitation of low grade uranium ores in large-scale applications.