PROCEDURE FOR PROCESSING SILICON CONTAINING WASTES OF URANIUM PRODUCTION Russian patent published in 2016 - IPC C22B60/02 C22B3/06 C22B3/26 

FIELD: metallurgy.

SUBSTANCE: invention can be used in processing of uranium containing materials, namely wastes of uranium production with the low (below 3 wt %) content of uranium, and with the high (up to 15 wt %) content of silicon. The method includes wastes unloading to the water solution of nitric acid at the excess concentration of 3.5-4.5 M. After wastes loading in the solution hydrofluoric acid is added at the mol ratio of fluorine:silicium as 4:1-6:1. Uranium leaching is performed upon the simultaneous presence of nitric and hydrofluoric acids at the increased temperature of the solution with producing the pulp comprising solid and water phases. Upon leaching completion the nitric acid concentration is reduced to 2.8-3.0 M. The water phase in the form of the nitric solution of uranyl nitrate is determined by the solid phase filtering, and then the extraction refining of uranium is performed.

EFFECT: significant reduction of duration, increased capacity of processing of silicon containing wastes of uranium production with the assurance of the high degree of uranium extraction.

2 cl, 5 tbl, 3 ex