Physicochemical foundations of the pioneering technology for the carbonaceous uranium ore processing

Abstract

Abstract The article presents the results of the first known industrial trials for the processing of uranium-containing slag obtained during blast-furnace smelting of carbonaceous iron-uranium ore (Zhovtorichenske deposit, Ukraine). It is shown that the fractional precipitation of iron and aluminum impurities allows reducing the losses of uranium and increasing the degree of utilization of nitrate nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen, additionally producing the ammonium nitrate as fertilizer. The scheme for chemical concentrate processing ensured a significant increase in the degree of uranium deposition into the finished product – up to 60%. Nitric acid sludge processing technology made it possible to maintain the water balance and completely prevented the discharge of off-balance effluents into the river Dnipro.