Process for selective extraction of nitrates from aqueous nitrate-sulfate solutions

Claim 1

A CYCLIC PROCESS FOR ELUTING URAMIUM WHICH HAS BEEN LEACHED FROM ITS ORE WITH SULFURIC ACID, FILTERED AND ADSORBED ON ION-EXCHANGE RESINS, AND FOR RECOVERING AND REUSING THE NITRATES USED TO ELUTE THE URANIUM, SAID PROCCESS COMPRISING, FIRST PASSING A NITRIC ACID-AMMONIUM NITRATE SOLUTION THROUGH THE ION-EXCHANGE COLUMN WHEREBY TO DISPLACE THE URANIUM ON THE RESIN WITH NITRATE IONS AND MAKE POSSIBLE THE COLLECTION OF URANIUM IN THE EFFLUENT OF THIS STEP, THEN PASSING SULFURIC ACID THROUGH THE COLUMN WHEREBY TO DISPLACE THE NITRATE IONS WITH SULFATE IONS, NEXT COLLECTING THE NITRIC ACID EFFLUENT FROM THE SULFURIC ACID TREATMENT STEP AND MIXING IT IN A SEPARATORY APPARATUS WITH A WATER INSOLUBLE AMINE FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY AMINES, AND QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS, EACH MEMBER OF SAID GROUP HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 185, WHEREBY THE NITRIC ACID IS ADSORBED ON THE AMINE, THEN SEPARATING OUT THE ORGANIC LAYER AND MIXING IT WITH A BASE TO FORM A NITRATE SALT SOLUTION, AND ACIDIFYING THE RESULTING SOLUTION WITH AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NITRIC AND SULFURIC ACIDS, WHEREBY TO MAKE THAT SOLUTION FOR FURTHER USE IN ELUTING URANIUM FROM ION-EXCHANGE RESIN ON WHICH IT MAY HAVE BEEN ADSORBED.