PURIFICATION OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS FROM THORIUM, URANIUM, AND RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES

Abstract

This article presents the results of industrial tests of the technology of sorption, precipitation and extraction purification of the concentrate of rare earth elements (REE) from radioactive decay products of the uranium and thorium series. It has been shown that the combination of sorption, selective precipitation, and extraction processes makes it possible to effectively purify REE from U, Th, Po, Ra, RaD, and Ac and to obtain radiation-safe nitrogencontaining solutions for the production of fertilizers and individual REE.