Uranium recovery from phosphates in Romania

The history of laboratory and pilot-scale research work carried out in Romania is reviewed. Based on this work, three industrial-scale uranium recovery units have been built adjacent to the existing plants that produce phosphoric acid for fertilizer production. The process described uses solvent extraction for recovering uranium from phosphoric acid (sulfuric acid attack) and from phosphonitric acid (nitric acid attack). The extractant used is either a DEPA-TOPO mixture or a mixture of DEPA-TBP. The method selected for the industrial-scale units is a ''one-cycle, extraction-stripping process'' that differs from the ''two-cycle, extraction stripping process'' developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In the ''one-cycle method'' both uranium and the rare earths are co-extracted and then selectively stripped by techniques that simultaneously produce precipitates. The first stripping operation selectively recovers a rare earth precipitate. Uranium is obtained from the second-stage stripping operation as ''green cake'' (a fluoride of U4+), which can be readily transformed to high purity UFO6. The treated phosphoric acid produces a triple superphosphate (TSP) of low radioactivity and diammonium phosphate (DAP) of no radioactivity. Three uranium recovery plants have been built adjacent to the existing phosphoric acid plants and are to be put into operation soon. Each plant can produce approximately 30 tonnes per year of uranium. The technology for conversion of the ''green cake'' to nuclear grade diuranate has also been finalized. Estimates indicate tha the ''one-cycle extraction-stripping process'' has a lower capital investment cost than the ''two-cycle extraction-stripping process'', and the projected operating costs are 25-30 US$/kg of U. (author). 8 refs, 2 figs