Method for the recovery of uranium, selenium and molybdenum

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF URANIUM, SELENIUM AND MOLYBDENUM VALUES FROM COMPOSITE ORES INCLUDING URANIUM OXIDES, MOLYBDENUM AND SELENIUM SULPHIDES. WATER-INSOLUBLE MOLYBDATES, SELENATES, SELENIDES, AND SELENITES, WHICH COMPRISES: ROASTING SAID ORE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OXIDIZING GAS AT A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN 400* AND 800*C., LEACHING THE ROASTED ORE WITH A HOT AQUEOUS ALKALI METAL CARBONATE SOLUTION CONTAINING CARBON DIOXIDE AND OXYGEN GASES TO FORM A FIRST LEACH SOLUTION AND TAILINGS, SELECTIVELY PRECIPITATING THE URANIUM VALUES FROM SAID FIRST LEACH SOLUTION, THE REMAINING SOLUTION INCLUDING SELENIUM AND MOLYBDENUM VALUES, JOINTLY PRECIPITATING THE SELENIUM AND MOLYBDENUM VALUES FROM SAID REMAINING LEACH SOLUTION, AND ROASTING SAID SELENIUM AND MOLYBDENUM PRECIPITATES AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO DECOMPOSE SAID SELENIUM PRECIPITATE AND TO VOLATILIZE THE SELENIUM FOR SUBSEQUENT RECOVERY, SAID TEMPERATURE BEING BELOW THAT NECESSARY TO VOLATILIZE THE MOLYBDENUM FROM ITS MOLYBDENUM PRECIPITATE TO THEREBY SEPARATE THE SELENIUM VALUES FROM THE MOLYBDENUM VALUES.