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，而 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不断进步，新的 而且存在着电解的创新应用。这需要大量的研究来处理 杂质，电极材料的选择，并考虑到适当的流程图设计 挖掘解决方案的复杂性。 总部位于温哥华的工程和技术公司NorAm Engineering and Constructors Ltd. 确定了一个新的重要机会来修改其现有的电解槽技术以用于 铀加工。本提案的目的是研究电解在铀(VI)中的应用。 还原作为湿法冶金中铀加工的一种替代方法，特别侧重于 确定和解决与电极污染、电池内的沉淀和 微量杂质的处理。 将回顾有关电解槽设计和电化学过程的基本原理。 包括确定电解槽的设计和当前应用在以下方面的挑战 湿法冶金工艺，以及电解槽在冶金领域的潜在新应用。 然后将设计、建造和测试用于将铀(VI)还原为U(IV)的电解槽。这个 将研究和确定电解槽的最佳操作条件。实验将会 首先使用合成的硫酸铀(VI)溶液来模拟真实的工艺解决方案，然后 来自加拿大铀矿的真正的渗滤液。Cameco公司将提供一个样本。

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.