Recovery of uranium values from phosphate rock

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF URANIUM VALUES FROM PHOSPHATE ROCK WHICH COMPRISES ACIDULATING SAID PHOSPHATE ROCK WITH AQUEOUS SULFURIC ACID OF BETWEEN ABOUT 60 AND ABOUT 70% STRENGTH IN MOLAR EXCESS UP TO ABOUT 20% OVER THAT REQUIRED TO FORM MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE AND TO REACT WITH THE REACTABLE IMPURITIES PRESENT IN THE ROCK WHICHE AGITATING THE ADMIXTURE DURING THE ACIDULATION, TO FORM AN ADMIXTURRE CONTAININ A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE URANIUM CONTAINED THEREIN IN HEXAVALENT FORM AGING THE ADMIXTURE FOR AT LEAST 14 DAYS, ADMIXING A LIQUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER AND AN AQUEOUS UNSATURATED MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE SOLUTION WITH THE AGED ACIDIFIED PHOSPHATIC MATERIAL, SLURRYING THE SAME, SEPARATING UNDISSOLVED SOLIDS FROM THE PHOSPHATIC LIQUID CONVERTING THE URANIUM PRESENT IN THE RESULTANT AQUEOUS LIQUID TO THE QUADRIVALENT STATE, CONTACTING THE SOLIDS-FREE LIQUID WITH AN ORGANIC SOLVENT CONTAINING AN ALKYL ACID ESTER OF AN ALKYL MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOL AND A PHOSPHORIC ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONISTING OF ORTHOPHOSPHORIC ACID AND PYROPHOSPHORIC ACID, SEPARATING THE AQUEOUS PHASE FROM THE ORGANIC PHASE, TREATING THE SEPARATED ORORGANIC PHASE WITH AQUEOUS SULFURIC ACID, SEPARATING THE CALCIUM SULFATE AQUEOUS SLURRY FROM THE ORGANIC PHASE TREATING THE SEPARATED ORGANIC PHASE OF REDUCED CALCIUM CONTENT WITH SUFFICIENT AQUEOUS HYDROFLUORIC ACID TO PRECIPITATE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF TE URANIUM PRESENT AND SEPARATING THE URANIUM PRECIPITATE FROM THE AQUEOUS PHASE.