Resin-in-pulp method for uranium recovery from leached pulp of low grade uranium ore

An improved process for the separation of uranium from the leached pulp of low grade uranium ore is reported using the resin-in-pulp method. For this study, four small pachucas were designed and calibrated. A series of tests were conducted batch-wise to determine the optimum conditions for uranium adsorption on a strong base anion exchange resin. The particle size of resin was 0.6–1.6 mm and the particle size of pulp was − 0.1 mm. Flow rates of resin and pulp were adjusted on 10 ml/h and 1 ml/h, respectively. The redox potential of pulp was 500 mV and the pH of pulp was 1.8. A McCabe Thiele diagram was constructed for the process and the experimental results confirmed the theoretical predictions. It is concluded that four stage counter-current resin-in-pulp operation under optimum conditions is sufficient to recover about 99% of the uranium from the leached ore.