Method of solubilizing and recovering

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING MINERAL VALUES FROM LEACHED ZONE MATERIALS FROM THE FLORIDA PEBBLE PHOSPHATE OVERBURDEN WHICH COMPRISES REACTING THE LEACHED ZONE MATERIAL WITH ATLEAST 100% GREATER THAN THE STOICHIOMETRIC EQUIVALENT AMOUNT OF MOLTEN ACID SULFATE OF AMMONIA, LEACHING THE REACTED MIXTURE WITH AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM, SEPARATING THE INSOLUBLE MATERIAL FROM THE REACTION PRODUCTS SOLUBLE IN AQUEOUS MEDIUM, REMOVING A MAJOR PROTION OF THE ALUMINUM FROMT HE AQUEOUS SOLUTION AS AMMONIUM ALUM CRYSTALS AND THEREAFTER RECOVERING FROM THE SOLUTION MINERAL VALUES SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF URANIUM AND PHOSPHORUS.

Claim 3

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING MINERAL VALUES FROM LEACHED ZONE MATERIALS FROM THE FLORIDA PEBBLE PHOSPHATE OVERBURDEN WHICH COMPRISES REACTING LEACHED ZONE MATERAL WITH AMMONIUM ACID SULFATE IN AMOUNTS BETWEEN 100% AND 300% EXCESS ACID SULFATE OVER THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO REACT WITH ALL OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE MATERIAL CAPABLE OF REACTING WITH ACID SULFATE WHILE MAINTAINING A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 350* F. AND ABOUT 900* F., LEACHING THE REACTED MIXTURE WITH AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM TO PRODUCE A SOLUTION HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF BETWEEN ABOUT 1.2 AND ABOUT 1.5, SEPARATING INSOLUBLE MATERIALS FROM THE REACTION PRODUCTS SOLUBLE IN THE AQUEOUS MEDIUM, ADJUSTING THE AMMONIUM SULFATE CONTENT AND THE TEMPERATURE TO CRYSTALLIZE AMOMNIUM ALUM FROM THE RESULTANT SOLUTION, SOLVENT EXTRACTING THE RESULTANT SOLUTION WITH AN ALKYL PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTER, AND RECOVERING THE URANIUM VALUES FROM THE RICH ALKYL PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTER SOLUTION.

Claim 4

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING MINERAL VALUES FROM LEACHED ZONE MATERIALS FROM THE FLORIDA PEBBLE PHOSPHATE OVERBURDEN WHICH COMPRISES REACTING LEACHED ZONE MATERAL WITH AMMONIUM ACID SULFATE IN AMOUNTS BETWEEN 100% AND 300% EXCESS ACID SULFATE OVER THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO REACT WITH ALL OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE MATERIAL CAPABLE OF REACTING WITH ACID SULFATE WHILE MAINTAINING A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 350* F. AND ABOUT 900* F., LEACHING THE REACTED MIXTURE WITH AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM TO PRODUCE A SOLUTION HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF BETWEEN ABOUT 1.2 AND ABOUT 1.5, SEPARATING INSOLUBLE MATERIALS FROM THE REACTION PRODUCTS SOLUBLE IN THE AQUEOUS MEDIUM, ADJUSTING THE AMMONIUM SULFATE CONTENT AND THE TEMPERATURE TO CRYSTALLIZE AMOMNIUM ALUM FROM THE RESULTANT SOLUTION, SOLVENT EXTRACTING THE RESULTANT SOLUTION WITH AN ALKYL PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTER, AND RECOVERING THE URANIUM VALUES FROM THE RICH ALKYL PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTER SOLUTION.