Electrokinetic-enhanced sulfuric acid leaching of uranium from sandstone uranium ores

IF 5.9 1区地球科学 Q1 ENGINEERING, CIVIL

Journal of Hydrology Pub Date : 2024-08-19 DOI:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131869

Wenji Wang , Chunguang Li , Longcheng Liu , Zhenzhong Liu , Chong Zhang , Yongmei Li , Rubin Li , Qi Liu

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Abstract

Solute transport in conventional acid leaching of sandstone uranium ores is limited by diffusion and convection, resulting in extended leaching cycles. This study described an electrokinetic-enhanced method for leaching sandstone uranium ore with sulfuric acid and was intended to investigate the impacts of potential gradients on leaching efficiency. Electrokinetic horizontal column leaching experiments were conducted on sandstone uranium ore. After 20 h of leaching, the uranium leaching efficiencies were 54.90 %, 56.36 %, 68.33 %, and 82.04 % for potential gradients of 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 V/cm, respectively. The uranium leaching efficiency of sandstone at a 2.0 V/cm potential gradient was 27.14 % greater than that at a 0 V/cm potential gradient, and the leaching time was decreased by approximately 40 % at the same uranium leaching efficiency. Analyses of the chemical fraction of uranium, XRD and SEM-EDS showed that the applied potential gradient facilitated solute transport during leaching, thus accelerating the leaching efficiency of adsorbed uranium, tetravalent uranium, and uranium encapsulated in lattices of silicates and primary and secondary minerals in sandstone uranium ores. Therefore, electrokinetic action is excellent for enhancing the effectiveness of sulfuric acid leaching of sandstone uranium ores and has broad application prospects.

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电动强化硫酸浸出砂岩铀矿中的铀

在砂岩铀矿石的传统酸浸出过程中，溶质运输受到扩散和对流的限制，导致浸出周期延长。本研究介绍了一种用硫酸浸出砂岩铀矿石的电动强化方法，旨在研究潜在梯度对浸出效率的影响。对砂岩铀矿石进行了电动水平柱浸出实验。浸出 20 小时后，电位梯度分别为 0、0.5、1.0 和 2.0 V/cm 时，铀浸出效率分别为 54.90%、56.36%、68.33% 和 82.04%。在 2.0 V/cm 电位梯度下，砂岩的铀沥滤效率比 0 V/cm 电位梯度下高 27.14%，在相同的铀沥滤效率下，沥滤时间缩短了约 40%。铀的化学成分、XRD 和 SEM-EDS 分析表明，施加的电位梯度促进了浸出过程中的溶质迁移，从而加快了砂岩铀矿中吸附铀、四价铀和包裹在硅酸盐晶格以及原生和次生矿物中的铀的浸出效率。因此，电动力作用是提高砂岩铀矿硫酸浸出效果的绝佳方法，具有广阔的应用前景。

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来源期刊

Journal of Hydrology 地学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

11.00

自引率

12.50%

发文量

1309

审稿时长

7.5 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Hydrology publishes original research papers and comprehensive reviews in all the subfields of the hydrological sciences including water based management and policy issues that impact on economics and society. These comprise, but are not limited to the physical, chemical, biogeochemical, stochastic and systems aspects of surface and groundwater hydrology, hydrometeorology and hydrogeology. Relevant topics incorporating the insights and methodologies of disciplines such as climatology, water resource systems, hydraulics, agrohydrology, geomorphology, soil science, instrumentation and remote sensing, civil and environmental engineering are included. Social science perspectives on hydrological problems such as resource and ecological economics, environmental sociology, psychology and behavioural science, management and policy analysis are also invited. Multi-and interdisciplinary analyses of hydrological problems are within scope. The science published in the Journal of Hydrology is relevant to catchment scales rather than exclusively to a local scale or site.