Process and installation for re-extracting, in several successive stages, uranium from an extractant.

摘要

1. Method for re-extracting in several succeeding stages, uranium from an extractant comprising a dialkyl phosphoric acid and a trialkyl phosphine dissolved into an organic solvent unmiscible in water, by means of a phosphoric acid aqueous solution containing ferrous ions, each stage comprising the following steps : a) contacting the extractant in the organic solvent with the phosphoric acid aqueous solution, a fraction from said aqueous solution being formed by the re-cycled uranium-loaded solution, thus producing an uranium-poor organic phase and a phosphoric acid aqueous phase enriched with uranium and ferric ions : b) separating the uranium-poor organic phase from the uranium-rich aqueous phase ; c) cycling a fraction from the uranium-rich aqueous phase resulting from step (b), back to step (a), and d) adjusting the ferrous ion content of the re-cycled fraction by contacting the uranium-rich aqueous phase resulting from step (b), with metal iron, this method being characterized in that contacting metal iron with the uranium-rich aqueous phase is performed by moving part at least of said metal iron relative to said aqueous phase, so as to cause iron abrading.