Electrolysis of uranium leach solutions in hydrometallurgical processing

矿业是加拿大资源驱动型经济的重要组成部分， 新的和改进的提取冶金技术将对加拿大在这一领域的竞争力至关重要。 电化学技术的创新应用可以提供新的方法来净化溶液和生产 贵重金属目前，电解技术在采矿部门的使用主要限于 电镀金属。然而，随着膜和电极涂层的持续进步，新的 并且存在电解的创新应用。这就需要对如何处理 杂质，电极材料的选择，以及考虑到 采矿解决方案的复杂性。 NORAM工程和建筑有限公司，一家总部位于温哥华的工程和技术公司， 确定了一个新的和重要的机会，修改他们现有的电解池技术，用于 铀加工本提案的目的是研究电解法在铀（VI）中的应用 还原作为湿法冶金中铀加工的替代方法，特别关注 识别和解决与电极结垢、电解槽内的沉淀以及电解槽内的电解质有关的具体问题。 处理痕量杂质。 将对电解槽设计和电化学过程的基本原理进行回顾 与诺拉姆，包括确定电解槽的设计和当前应用的挑战， 湿法冶金工艺，以及电解池在冶金领域的潜在新应用。 然后将设计、建造和测试一个将铀（VI）还原为铀（IV）的电解池。的 将研究和确定电解池的最佳操作条件。实验将 首先使用合成硫酸铀（VI）溶液模拟真实的工艺溶液，然后 来自加拿大铀矿的真实的渗滤液。Cameco公司将提供样品。

Mining is an important component of Canada's resource-driven economy, and the continued development of new and improved extractive metallurgy technologies will be critical to Canada's competitiveness in this area. The innovative application of electrochemical techniques could offer new ways to purify solutions and produce valuable metals. Presently, the use of electrolytic technologies in the mining sector is limited largely to the electroplating of metals. However, with the continued advancement of membranes and electrode coatings, new and innovative applications of electrolysis exist. This requires substantial research into the handling of impurities, selection of electrode materials, and design of appropriate flow sheets taking into account the complexity of mining solutions. NORAM Engineering and Constructors Ltd., a Vancouver-based engineering and technology company, has identified a new and significant opportunity to modify their existing electrolytic cell technology to be used for uranium processing. The goal of this proposal is to investigate the application of electrolysis to uranium(VI) reduction as an alternative method of uranium processing in hydrometallurgy, with a particular focus on identifying and resolving specific issues related to electrode fouling, precipitation within the cell, and the handling of trace impurities. A review of fundamentals regarding electrolytic cell design and electrochemical processes will be conducted with Noram, including identifying the design and challenges of current applications of electrolytic cells in hydrometallurgical processes, and potential novel applications of electrolytic cells in the field of metallurgy. An electrolytic cell for uranium(VI) reduction to U(IV) will then be designed, constructed and tested. The optimum operating conditions of the electrolytic cell will be investigated and determined. Experiments will first be conducted using synthetic uranium(VI) sulphate solutions to simulate real process solutions, followed by real leachate solutions from a Canadian uranium mine. Cameco Corporation will provide a sample.