ACIDIC ORGANOPHOSPHORUS SOLVENT-EXTRACTION PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION OF MOLYBDENUM IN TAILINGS FROM URANIUM ORE TREATMENT

Uranium ore often contains a significant amount of molybdenum. The mai n by-product of uranium extraction is an impure calcium molybdate, who se recovery could justify the development of a liquid-liquid extractio n process. The knowledge of the behavior of heteropolymolybdic species in acidic solutions was exploited to investigate the use of an organo phosphorus extractant to extract molybdenum from dissolution liquors o f impure calcium molybdate, residues from uranium ore treatment. An or ganophosphorus solvent extraction process is proposed to recover and p urify 99.7% of the molybdenum from the initial residue, free from the impurities P, V, and Si. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.