Production of low sulfate uranium oxide

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING OXIDES OF URANIUM FROM URANIUM ORE COMPRISING LEACHING URANIUM VALUES FROM ORE TO FORM A PREGNANT LEACH LIQUOR, CONTACTING SAID LEACH LIQUOR WITH A SOLVENT EXTRACTANT TO TRANSFER SAID URANIUM VALUES FROM SAID PREGNANT LEACH LIQUOR TO SAID SOLVENT EXTRACTANT THEREBY FORMING A LOADED SOLVENT EXTRACTANT, REMOVING SAID LOADED SOLVENT EXTRACTANT FROM CONTACT WITH SAID LEACH LIQUOR, CONTACTING SAID LOADED SOLVENT EXTRACTANT, WITH A SODIUM CARBONATE STRIPPING SOLUTION THEREBY CAUSING THE URANIUM VALUES TO TRANSFER FROM SAID LOADED SOLVENT EXTRACTANT TO SAID SOLVENT SODIUM CARBONATE STRIPPING SOLUTION TO FORM A SODIUM CARBONATE SECONDARY LIQUOR, ADDING SULFURIC ACID TO SAID SODIUM CARBONATE SECONDARY LIQUOR UNTIL SAID SODIUM CARBONATE SECONDARY LIQUOR IS CONVERTED TO AN ACIDIC SECONDARY SULPHATE LIQUOR HAVING A PH OF ABOUT 2, HEATING SAID ACIDIC SECONDARY SULPHATE LIQUOR TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO DECOMPOSE THE CARBONATE COMPONENT AND MAINTAINING SAID TEMPERATURE UNTIL SAID CARBONATE COMPONENT IS SUBSTANTIALLY DECOMPOSED, AND ADDING AN AMMONIA COMPOUND TO SAID ACIDIC SECONDARY SULPHATE LIQUOR UNTIL SAID ACIDIC SECONDARY SULPHATE LIQUOR HAVING A CONVERTED TO A BASIC SECONDARY SULPHATE LIQUOR HAVING A PH OF ABOUT 7 TO 8 AND THEREBY CAUSING PRECITATION OF THE URANIUM VALUES FROM THE BASIC SECONDARY SULPHATE LIQUOR AS AN OXIDIC URANIUM PRECIPITATE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING REMOVING SAID PRECIIPITATE FROM SAID BASIC SECONDARY SULPHATE LIQUOR BEFORE SAID PRECIPITATE HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SAID BASIC SECONDARY SULPHATE LIQUOR FOR A PERIOD OF GREATER THAN ABOUT 1 HOUR; AND WASHING SAID PRECIPITATE TO FORM A FINAL OXIDE OF URANIUM CONTAINING LESS THAN ABOUT 1.0 WEIGHT PERCENT SULPHATE.