Process development for uranium and vanadium recovery from Korean Okcheon black shale ore leach liquor

Abstract

The main goal of the proposed chemical methodology is to extract uranium and vanadium without other associated metals such as iron and aluminum. It also deals with the development of recovery processes for uranium and vanadium by preparation of yellow cake and vanadium pentoxide. Korean Okcheon black shale ore leach liquor contains 570 mg/dm3 uranium and 890 mg/dm3 vanadium with high iron (12,560 mg/dm3) and aluminum (13,460 mg/dm3) metal concentrations, at lower pH conditions were developed for uranium recovery and then modify the extraction of raffinate pH for vanadium recovery studies. By invoking a scrubbing process, unwanted impurities were separated from loaded organic phases, and the regenerated extractant was utilized for further cycles. The metal contents in aqueous solution were determined by using the advanced analytical technique inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Finally in the present developed methodology, ~95 % of uranium was recovered in the form of yellow cake and ~50 % of vanadium was recovered as vanadium pentoxide.