Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Recovery of Uranium and Rare Earth Elements from Western Desert Phosphate Rocks with EDTA and Nitric Acid Solutions

  • Published:
Radiochemistry Aims and scope

Abstract

Dissolution of uranium and rare earth elements from the Abu-Tartur phosphate rocks, Egypt using a mixed EDTA + nitric acid solution was studied. The effect of factors such as particle size, EDTA and nitric acid concentrations, agitation time, solid to liquid ratio, and dissolution temperature was studied, and the dissolution conditions were optimized. The optimized dissolution conditions were applied to a representative sample of the weathered rock assaying 1067 ppm rare earth elements. Before being processed, the representative sample was completely characterized using mineralogical and chemical analyses. From the obtained leach liquor, uranium was recovered by anion exchange with Duolite A 101D resin, and after uranium adsorption the rare elements were recovered by cation exchange with Dowex 50W-X8 resin.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 9.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 11.
Fig. 12.
Fig. 13.
Fig. 14.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Eid, M.A., Fakhry, A.A., Mahdy, A.A., Eid, K.A., and Broekaert, J.A., Fresenius’ J. Anal. Chem., 1995, vol. 351, pp. 190–196.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Al-Wakeel, M.I., Int. J. Miner. Process., 2005, vol. 75, pp. 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.minpro.2004.05.004

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Gupta, C. and Krishnamurthy, N., Extractive Metallurgy of Rare Earth, CRC, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Al-Shammari, M.S., Ahmed, I.M., Nayla, A.A., Aly, H.F., Mohamed, G.G., and Abdel Rahman, M.S., Adv. Environ. Biol., 2016, vol. 10(9), pp. 49–53. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Al-Emrajabi, M., Rasmuson, Å.C., Korkmaz, K., and Forsberg, K., Hydrometallurgy, 2017, vol. 169, pp. 253–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2017.01.008.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Paschalidou, P. and Pashalidis, I., Hydrometallurgy, 2019, vol. 189, p. 105118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2019.105118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Habashi, F., Awadalla, F.T., and Zailaf, M., Chem. Technol. Biotechnol., 1986, vol. 36, pp. 259–267.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Nriagu, J.O. and Pacyna, J.M., Nature, 1988, vol. 333, pp. 134–139.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Haneklaus, N., Sun, Y., Bol, R., Lottermoser, B., and Schnug, E., Environ. Sci. Technol., 2017, vol. 51, pp. 753–754. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b05506

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Alter, I., Int. Conf. on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (Geneva, 1958), New York: UN, 1958, vol. 3.

  11. Ketzinel, Z., Yakir, D., Rosenberg, J., Shashua, J., Hasid, M., and Volkman, Y., Abstracts of Papers, Recovery of Uranium: San Paulo Symp., IAEA-SM-135∕12, Vienna: IAEA, 1971.

  12. El-Shazly, E.M., El Hazek, N.J., and El Mahrouky, F.A., Congr. of Phosphate in ARE, Part II, Arabs Min. Petrol. Assoc. Trans., 1972, vol. 27, no. 2.

  13. Hassan, F. and El-Kammar, A., Egypt. J. Petrol., 1975, vol. 19, pp. 169–178.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kim, J.A., Dodbiba, G., Tanimura, Y., Mitsuhashi, K., Fukuda, N., Okaya, K., Matsuo, S., and Fujita, T., Mater. Trans., 2011, vol. 52, no. 9, pp. 1799–1806. https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.M2011111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Ali, M.M., The Impact of the Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of West Sibaiya Nile Valley Phosphorites on the Extraction of Uranium: PhD Thesis, Cairo (Egypt): Cairo Univ., 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Muller, L.D. and Burton, C.J., Metall. Congr. Aust., 1965, vol. 6, pp. 1151–1163.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Ortiz, I., Alonso, A., and Urtiaga, A., Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 1999, vol. 38, pp. 2450. https://doi.org/10.1021/ie980686s

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Zhang, P., Procedia Eng., 2014, vol. 83, pp. 37–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2014.09.010

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Wu, S.X., Wang, L.S., Zhang, P., El-Shall, H., Moudgil, B., and Huang, X.W., Hydrometallurgy, 2018, vol. 175, pp. 109–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2017.10.025

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Wu, S., Zhao, L., Wang, L., Huang, X., Zhang, Y., Feng, Z., and Cui, D., J. Rare Earths, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jre.2018.09.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Abd El-Mottaleb, M., Cheira, M.F., Gouda, A.H., and Saiyd, A.A., Chem. Adv. Mater., 2016, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 33–40.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Shengdong, W., Kaixi, J., Xunxiong, J., Lingyong, F., Yanqing, F., Wei, J., and Denggao, Z., Nonferrous Met. (Extr. Metall.), 2011, vol. 10, no. 9, pp. 28−31.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Anderegg, G., Critical Survey of Stability Constants of EDTA Complexes, IUPAC Chemical Data Series, 1976, no. 14.

  24. Martell, A.E. and Smith, R.M., Critical Stability Constants. Amino Acids, New York: Plenum, 1982. https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/45272155

    Book  Google Scholar 

  25. Arena, G., Musumeci, S., Purrello, R., and Sammartano, S., Thermochim. Acta, 1983, vol. 61, pp. 129–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-6031(83)80309-8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Paschalidou, pp. and Pashalidis, I., J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., 2019, vol. 320, pp. 807–813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06539-0

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Farag, A.B., Bakry, A.R., Abdelfattah, N.A., and Elwy, A.M., Int. J. Adv. Res., 2015, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 32–41.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Mathew, K.J., Mason, B., Morales, M.E., and Narayann, U.I., J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., 2009, vol. 282, pp. 939-944. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-009-0186-4

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Marczenko, Z. and Balcerzak, M., Separation, Preconcentration, and Spectrophotometry in Inorganic Analysis, Amsterdam (Netherlands): Elsevier, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Govindaraju, K., Mevelle, C., and Chouard, C., Anal. Chem., 1976, vol. 48, pp. 1325–1331.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was funded by the Nuclear Materials Authority as a part of its research activities.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Materials Authority, El Maadi, PB530, Cairo, Egypt

    A. R. Bakry, M. Demerdash, E. A. Manaa & A. I. L. Abd El Fatah

Authors
  1. A. R. Bakry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Demerdash
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. A. Manaa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. I. L. Abd El Fatah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. I. L. Abd El Fatah.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bakry, A.R., Demerdash, M., Manaa, E.A. et al. Recovery of Uranium and Rare Earth Elements from Western Desert Phosphate Rocks with EDTA and Nitric Acid Solutions. Radiochemistry 63, 297–306 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1066362221030073

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1066362221030073

Keywords:

Search

Navigation