PURPOSE: To separate and enrich a desorbing solution effectively and obtain uranium of high purity, by treating the desorbed solution of the uranium prepared by using a carbonate as a desorbing agent with a strongly basic anion exchange resin and chelate resin one after another.
CONSTITUTION: Seawater is brought into contact with an adsorbent to adsorb uranium, and the adsorbed uranium is then desorbed with a desorbing solution containing a carbonate as a desorbing agent. The desorbing solution consisting of the carbonate is first passed through a strongly basic anion exchange resin. The uranium in the carbonate solution is present as UO2(CO3)34-, and subjected to the anion exchange and adsorbed in the resin. On the other hand, cations in the solution are not adsorbed in the resin and passed directly therethrough. The resin which is previously converted into the carbonate, and the carbonic acid radicals in the desorbing solution are not reduced. Therefore, the solution after the ion exchange is reusable as a desorbing solution of uranium. A solution of NaCl is passed through the anion exchange resin to elute the adsorbed uranium. The resultant enriched uranium solution containing a very small amount of impurities is subjected to the chelate adsorption to improve the purity on forming a yellow cake from the uranium.
FUJITA KAZUNORI
MAEKOYA CHIAKI
OZAWA YOSHIHIRO
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