Method of producing concentrates of uranium and vanadium from lowbearing ores

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF OBTAINING CONCENTRATES OF URANIUM AND VANADIUM FROM LOW-BEARING URANIUM AND VANADIUM CONTAINING ORES WHICH COMPRISES REDUCING THE ORE TO A RELATIVELY FINELY DIVIDED STATE; WETTING THE REDUCED ORE WITH AN ALKALI CARBONATE SOLUTION; ELUTRIATING THE WETTED ORE WITH A DILUTE ALKALI CARBONATE SOLUTION TO SEPARATE SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE URANIUM-BEARING AND AT LEAST A PART OF THE VANADIUM-BEARING CONSTITUENTS OF THE ORE FROM THE RELATIVELY COARSE SAND GRAIN CONSTITUENTS THEREOF; HEATING AND EVAPORATING THE DILUTE ALKALI CARBONATE SOLUTION CONTAINING THE SEPARATED URANIUM AND VANADIUM CONSTITUENTS OF THE ORE TO REDUCED THE VOLUME OF SUCH SOLUTION AND TO DISSOLVE ALL OF THE URANIUM CONTAINED THEREIN; ACIDIFYING THE EVAPORATED ALKALI CARBONATE SOLUTION; FILTERING THE ACIDIFIED SOLUTION TO SEPARATE AN ACID SUPERNATANT URANIUM CONTAINING SOLUTION FROM AN UNDISSOLVED VANADIUM CONTAINING RESIDUE; HEATING THE VANADIUM-CONTAINING RESIDUE TO IGNITION TEMPERATURES TO BURN OUT ALL ORGANIC MATERIAL AND EVAPORATE ALL FREE WATER CONTAINED THEREIN AND TO OBTAIN A FIRST VANADIUM CONCENTRATE FROM THAT PORTION OF THE ORE SEPARATED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASS DURING THE ELUTRIATION THEREOF; ADDING TO THE SUPERNATANT URANIUM-CONTAINING SOLUTION AN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE TO PRECIPITATE AN ALKALI METAL URANATE; SEPARATING SAID ALKALI METAL URANATE FROM THE SOLUTION AFTER THE ADDITION OF SAID ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND CHEMICALLY REDUCING THE ALKALI METAL URANATE TO URANIUM OXIDE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF OBTAINING CONCENTRATES OF URANIUM AND VANADIUM FROM LOW-BEARING URANIUM AND VANADIUM CONTAINING ORES WHICH COMPRISES REDUCING THE ORE TO A RELATIVELY FINELY DIVIDED STATE; WETTING THE REDUCED ORE WITH AN ALKALI CARBONATE SOLUTION; ELUTRIATING THE WETTED ORE WITH A DILUTE ALKALI CARBONATE SOLUTION TO SEPARATE SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE URANIUM-BEARING AND AT LEAST A PART OF THE VANADIUM-BEARING CONSTITUENTS OF THE ORE FROM THE RELATIVELY COARSE SAND GRAIN CONSTITUENTS THEREOF; HEATING AND EVAPORATING THE DILUTE ALKALI CARBONATE SOLUTION CONTAINING THE SEPARATED URANIUM AND VANADIUM CONSTITUENTS OF THE ORE TO REDUCED THE VOLUME OF SUCH SOLUTION AND TO DISSOLVE ALL OF THE URANIUM CONTAINED THEREIN; ACIDIFYING THE EVAPORATED ALKALI CARBONATE SOLUTION; FILTERING THE ACIDIFIED SOLUTION TO SEPARATE AN ACID SUPERNATANT URANIUM CONTAINING SOLUTION FROM AN UNDISSOLVED VANADIUM CONTAINING RESIDUE; HEATING THE VANADIUM-CONTAINING RESIDUE TO IGNITION TEMPERATURES TO BURN OUT ALL ORGANIC MATERIAL AND EVAPORATE ALL FREE WATER CONTAINED THEREIN AND TO OBTAIN A FIRST VANADIUM CONCENTRATE FROM THAT PORTION OF THE ORE SEPARATED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASS DURING THE ELUTRIATION THEREOF; ADDING TO THE SUPERNATANT URANIUM-CONTAINING SOLUTION AN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE TO PRECIPITATE AN ALKALI METAL URANATE; SEPARATING SAID ALKALI METAL URANATE FROM THE SOLUTION AFTER THE ADDITION OF SAID ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND CHEMICALLY REDUCING THE ALKALI METAL URANATE TO URANIUM OXIDE.