Process for the selective separation of uranium, zirconium and/or hafnium and/or molybdenum from a carbonated aqueous solution containing same

摘要

Process for the selective separation of uranium in carbonated aqueous solution from soluble impurities including in particular at least one of the elements zirconium and/or hafnium and/or molybdenum, thereby making it possible to produce a uraniferous liquor in a greatly improved state of purity, comprising precipitation of the zirconium and/or hafnium by introducing an alkali metal hydroxide, then separation of the zirconiferous precipitate which possibly contains hafnium and/or molybdenum from the resulting uraniferous solution with its reduced impurities content, which still possibly contains molybdenum, which is characterized in that in order to increase the removal of zirconium and/or hafnium and/or molybdenum, the uraniferous carbonated aqueous solution is treated by means of a dilute alkaline aqueous solution containing at most 17 g/l of at least one alkali metal hydroxide expressed in respect of OH.sup.-, in an amount such that the resulting pH- value is imperatively higher than 11 but is generally between 11.8 and 12. 5.