Uranium extraction from gattar sulfate leach liquor using aliquat-336 in a liquid emulsion membrane process

Abstract

A uranyl leach liquor obtained by uranium leaching of a technological sample of Gattar GII ore was subjected to uranium extraction using the liquid emulsion membrane (LEM) technique. The solvent used was methyl trioctyl ammonium chloride commercially known as Aliquat 336 [(C 8 H 17) 3NCH 3Cl].This technique yielded much higher degrees of extraction than conventional solvent extraction processes using the same amount of the solvent. Like ion-exchange processes, the technique is particularly suited for dilute solutions such as leach and wash solutions of uranium ores. The effects of the relevant parameters on the permeation rate and percent permeation of uranium were studied. The organic phase in the working LEM was composed of 0.02 M Aliquat 336 with 5% Span 80 in kerosene as diluent (a local aliphatic hydrocarbon product assaying 0.3% aromatic). The internal phase was composed of 1M Na 2CO 3 aqueous solution. The parameters studied included the effects of H 2SO 4 acid concentration in the external phase and the effect of uranium concentration in the feed solution, the effect of volume ratio of emulsion to feed solution, the effect of mixing speed on the extraction rate of uranium and finally, the effect of various internal solutions.