Separation of impurities from yellow cake by solvent extraction method with Aliquat 336 as extractant

In this study, the separation of yellow cake impurities was investigated by solvent extraction (SX) method using Aliquat 336. The effects of contact time, type and concentration of extractant, type and pH of buffer and diluent type on the extraction rate of impurities from the aqueous phase were studied. Impurity separation experiments were done by solvent extraction method from the simulated solution. The optimal time for the contact of two phases to achieve the maximum amount of extraction of impurities compared to uranium was found to be 6 minutes. Aliquot 336 extractant had a better performance for the separation of impurities than N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxyl amine (BPHA) and N, N-dimethoxy phenyl formamidine (DMF). The optimal concentration for the extractant was 0.4 M and chloroform had the best performance among the diluents. The use of acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer with a pH of 3.6 led to the greatest removal of impurities. Also, the McCabe Thiele diagram showed that two extraction steps are needed to remove molybdenum impurity from the yellow cake sample. Therefore, it can be said that in the optimal conditions of the process parameters and with two stages of extraction, 94% of uranium remained in the aqueous phase and the amount of impurities was reduced below the permissible limit