Abstract
The purpose of the study was to represent the results of the first industrial tests of the technology for processing uranium carbonate ore with a target component content of 0.3%, by selective carbonate leaching with the separation of the uranium-containing solution from the rock, in the processes of thickening and decantation with using flocculants. This study was carried out to find out more effective flocculating reagents. Experimental data were collected from industrial slurries with the addition of polyacrylamide-based flocculants. The study showed that leaching in sodium carbonate media provided a high degree of purity of the product because metals impurities during leaching did not pass into solution. In line with earlier research, the process studies have confirmed the hypothesis that replacing of low-performance disc filters with automatic settling tanks significantly reduces labor and energy consumption. The results of the study convincingly show that the scheme for processing carbonate uranium ore made it possible to reduce the time of personnel contact with toxic and radioactive products. The main technical and economic indicators of the decantation scheme are given, methods for improving the decantation washing of uranium from pulps are described. Methods for more efficient use of flocculants and reduction of their consumption are proposed. Optimal modes of the process allowed to increase productivity and reduce production costs by 10% at the expense to reduce the consumption of electricity and steam, decommission energy-intensive vacuum pumps and filters. At the same time, the average extraction of uranium in the commercial solution – 90%. The results obtained can be applied in the uranium mining industry. To increase the productivity of the decantation scheme, further tests of new flocculating reagents, methods of their introduction are necessary; it is also of practical interest to study the conditions of flocculation depending on the salt composition of the washing solutions.
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