Process and apparatus for producing uranium or a rare earth element

US10894999B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• OUTOTEC (FINLAND) OY · FI

Inventors

• Maciej Wrobel · Karben, DE
• Jochen Güntner · Alzenau, DE
• Alexandros CHARITOS · Frankfurt am Main, DE
• Jörg Hammerschmidt · Rückingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 30, 2016
• Grant date: Jan 19, 2021
• Expiry date: Jun 30, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C22B60/0213
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

In a process for producing uranium and/or at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium and yttrium out of an ore, the ore is mixed with sulphuric acid with a concentration of at least 95 wt.-% to a mixture, wherein the mixture is granulated to pellets. The pellets are fed into at least one fluidized bed fluidized by a fluidizing gas for a thermal treatment at temperatures between 200 and 1000° C. The at least one fluidized bed is developed such that it at least partly surrounds a gas supply tube for a gas or a gas mixture fed into the reactor and the gas or gas mixture is used as a heat transfer medium.