Ultrasonic intensification of uranium sorption from pregnant solutions by ion-exchange resin

Until now, the intensification of ion exchange processes (sorption, desorption, washing of ion exchanger) remains an urgent problem in obtaining commercial strippants. This paper presents the study of ultrasonic (US) effects on the process of uranium sorption from pregnant solutions by ion-exchange resin at operating in-situ leach recovery (“ISR”) uranium production. The study and evaluation of effectiveness of ultrasonic intensifying the ion exchange processes was implemented at one of the mines of NAC Kazatomprom JSC. Ultrasonic pulses periodically generated by emitters produced effects on the whole working space of the mass transfer apparatus. Thus, the whole mass of reagents is kept in continuous motion, and the whole surface of the anion exchanger grains is permanently purified during the ultrasonic device operation. The study findings showed that the ultrasonic intensification of the sorption process allows: increasing the sorption rate by 6.4 times at uranium concentration in the pregnant solutions of 0.003 g/m3; increasing the sorption rate by 1.4 times at uranium concentration in the pregnant solutions of 0.014 g/m3; achieving weighted average increasing the sorption rate by 1.3 times through applying the ultrasonic treatment; increasing full dynamic exchange capacity of the ion exchange resin for uranium in 1.13 times at keeping mechanical strength of the ion exchanger grains.