co recovery of uranium and rare earths

Will the Co-Recovery of uranium and rare earths from phosphate ore deposits lead to cheap uranium for decades?DINARA ZHUSSUPOVAMIT, BOSTON, 2015

D.Zhussupova. Co-recovery of uranium from phosphates

2Why uranium from phosphates?

Uranium is NOT a renewable resource! Primary CONVENTIONAL resources of Uranium: 6 Million T. Annual production: 53 000 tU. Annual U consumption: 65 000 T. 100 years more at current rates of consumption. But consumption is growing! 87-138 thous tU/year by 2035. Among all UNCONVENTIONAL resources, phosphates contain 80% of U = 22 Million T of U = 338 years. 20 000 Tons of U produced per 200 Million tons of P. More reasons – Need phosphate fertilizers free of U!

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3Uranium in phosphates

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4Why rare earths?

Uranium recovery from phosphates - not profitable. Simultaneous recovery of uranium and rare earths – OK! [K. Weterings, J. Janssen; 1985]

China: 90% of the world’s REE production – has decreased export of REE from 50145 tonnes in 2009 to 31130 tonnes in 2012. Need another source of REE!

The conventional rare-earth ores have 3-15% of rare-earth oxide. REE in phosphate ore is 0.01-0.1%, somewhere 1.0%. 100,000 tons of REE per 170 million tons of phosphates . Need phosphate fertilizers free of heavy metals!

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5Rare earths in phosphates and in use

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6Uranium from phosphates history

1970-1976, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL): new extractants for wet phosphoric acid (WPA) process.

1976, a new recovery plant in Florida: extractant - octyl phenyl phosphoric acid (OPPA).

1978, new uranium recovery plants in Louisiana and Florida: di-ethylhexyl phosphate (DEPA) and tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO) -extractant in kerosene.

1980-1981, five new plants: DEPA + TOPO extractant. 1981, a new plant in Canada: OPPA extractant.

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7OPPA

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8DEPA-TOPO

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9

Patent flowsheet for U&REE recovery from phosphatesWamser et al. Recovery of fluorine, uranium and rare earth metal values from phosphoric acid by'product brine raffinate. United States Patent, Feb, 10, 1976

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10 – HCl; 11 – aqueous solution; 12 – reactor; 13 – phosphate; 15, 30 – separators; 17 - organic solvent; 22 - solvent extraction column; 23 – organic phase; 24 – organic phase out; 25 - aqueous phase; 27 – basically reacting compound; 28 – vessel.


10

Simultaneous recovery of U&REE from phosphoric acidK. Weterings, J. Janssen.. Hydrometallurgy, Volume 15, Issue 2, December 1985, Pages 173–190: U solvent extraction method expenses - $60/lb; U precipitation method expenses are lower - $41/lb; but at current U price $38/lb – both methods are not profitable. Need U&REE recovery!

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11If simultaneous recovery of U&Y (K.Weterings et al, 1985)

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12

Cheap uranium?Florin T. Bunus. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review: An International Journal, Volume 21, Issue 1-5, 2000: uranium solvent extraction method costs $25/kg = $11/lb! at current U price $38/lb – profitable! More profitable with REE extraction.

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13Cheap uranium! [F.Bunus, 2000]

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14Peak uranium 2007 & later prices for U

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http://www.uranium.info/in_the_market.php


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So far…Harvinderpal Singh. BARC Newsletter, Issue no. 284 September 2007: add second cycle to avoid contamination of U with REE – but how much it costs? (flowsheet).

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Other modern projects: Phospurin Kamorphos, India; GCT experience, Tunis; K-Technologies; PhosEnergy - $40/kg = $18/lb – expenses are high but still profitable!


16[F.Bunus, 2000] + [K.Weterings, 1985]

The reasons of the success of F.Bunus (2000): No expenses for second cycle recovery (but critics from H.Singh, 2007); No expenses for pre-treatment of WPA (no need to purify the

phosphoric acid from carbons because the fertilizer plant uses highly purified acid);

No expenses for chemical oxidizing of uranium (because of easy oxidation by air in the presence of phosphoric acid).

What if apply these conditions to the precipitation method of K.Weterings?

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17So what?

Precipitation is cheaper than solvent extraction – K.Weterings, 1985. And it is cheaper 1.5 times! ($60/lb : $41/lb) – K.Weterings. By F.Bunus, solvent extraction costs $11/lb. Then, corresponding precipitation at the same conditions costs

$7.33/lb! ($11/lb : 1.5). At current market price for uranium $38/lb, the profit would be $31/lb!

($38/lb - $7/lb). Thus, using this technology makes recovery from phosphates much

economical even without REE recovery!

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18The end!

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co recovery of uranium and rare earths

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