Removal of selenium from uranium leach liquors

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING URANIUM AND SELENIUM VALUES FROMAN ORE WHICH COMPRIESES OXIDIZING AN AQUEOUS SLURRY OF COMMINUTED URANIUMAND SELENIUM-CONTAINING ORE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CARBONATE LEACHING SOLUTION INA LEACHING ZONE TO FORM A PREGANANT LIQUOR CONTAINING DISSOLVED WATER SOLUBLE URANIUM COMPOUND AND DISSOLVED WATER SOLUBLE SELENIUMCOMPOUNDS; SEPARATING UNDISSOLVED SOLIDS; TREATING SAID PREGANANT LIQUOR WITH ALUMINUM TO FORM INSOLUBLE URANIUMVALUES AND SOLUBLE SELENIUM VALUES; RECOVERING FROM SAID PREGNANT LIUQOR SAID INSOLUBLE URANIUMVALUES; OXIDIZING SAID PREGNANT LIQUOR TO PRODUCE SELENIUM IN ELEMENTAL FORM; RECOVERING SAID SELENIUM IN ELEMENTAL FORM; AND RECYCLING THE RESULTING BARREN SOLUTION FROM THE VALUES RECOVERY STEPS TO THE LEACHING CIRCUIT.

Claim 3

IN A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING URANIUMAND SELENIUM VALUES FROM AN ORE WHICH COMPRISES OXIDIZING AN AQUEOUS SLURRY OF COMMINUTED URANIUM-CONTAINING ORE IN THE PRESENCE OF A LEACHING SOLUTION IN A LEACHING VESSEL, FORMING A PREGNANT LIQUOR CONTAINING A DISSOLVED WATER SOLUBLE HEXAVALENT URANYLCOMPOUND AND WATER-SOLUBLE SELENATE COMPOUNDS, RECOVERING URANIUMVALUES FROMSAID PREGNANT LIQUOR, AND RECYCLING THE BARREN SOLUTIN FROM THE RECOVERY STEPS TO THE LEACHING CIRCUIT, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES TREATING WATER SOLUBLE SELENATE COMPOUNDS WITH AN AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM SULFIDE HYDROGEN SULFIDE, SODIUM THIOSULFATE, SODIUM SULFITE AND SODIUM HYDROSULFITES TO FORM INSOLUBLE ELEMENTAL SELENIUM, SEPARATING SAID SELENIUMFROM THE RESULTING SLURRY IN A FILTRATION ZONE, WHEREBY VALUABLE ELEMENTAL SELENIUM IS RECOVERED, SAID ELEMENTAL SELENIUM BEING RECOVERED BEFORE THE RECOVERY OF SAID URANIUM VALUES.

Claim 4

IN A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING URANIUMAND SELENIUM VALUES FROM AN ORE WHICH COMPRISES OXIDIZING AN AQUEOUS SLURRY OF COMMINUTED URANIUM-CONTAINING ORE IN THE PRESENCE OF A LEACHING SOLUTION IN A LEACHING VESSEL, FORMING A PREGNANT LIQUOR CONTAINING A DISSOLVED WATER SOLUBLE HEXAVALENT URANYLCOMPOUND AND WATER-SOLUBLE SELENATE COMPOUNDS, RECOVERING URANIUMVALUES FROMSAID PREGNANT LIQUOR, AND RECYCLING THE BARREN SOLUTIN FROM THE RECOVERY STEPS TO THE LEACHING CIRCUIT, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES TREATING WATER SOLUBLE SELENATE COMPOUNDS WITH AN AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM SULFIDE HYDROGEN SULFIDE, SODIUM THIOSULFATE, SODIUM SULFITE AND SODIUM HYDROSULFITES TO FORM INSOLUBLE ELEMENTAL SELENIUM, SEPARATING SAID SELENIUMFROM THE RESULTING SLURRY IN A FILTRATION ZONE, WHEREBY VALUABLE ELEMENTAL SELENIUM IS RECOVERED, SAID ELEMENTAL SELENIUM BEING RECOVERED BEFORE THE RECOVERY OF SAID URANIUM VALUES.