Recovery of Uranium, Thorium and Cerium from Egyptian monazite sands. I

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Abstract
A process is described for the recovery of uranium, thorium and cerium from Egyptian monazite sands. The process consisted of: 1. Treatment of fine ground monazite sands with hot 50% caustic soda solution with a caustic soda to monazite sand ratio of 1:1. 2. Dilution of the reaction slurry with 6 times the weight of the sand with water to dissolve the sodium phosphate formed. 3. Filtration of the reaction slurry to remove the solid hydrous metal oxides from the sodium phosphate and excess sodium hydroxide. 4. Drying of the mixed hyrous oxides at 150°C for 10 hours to oxidise cerium. 5. Dissolution of the trivalent rare earths by addition of dilute nitric acid dropwise to an aqueous suspension of the dried hydrous oxides to pH 1.3.6. Separation of uranium, thorium and cerium by filtration of the dissolved tervalent rare earths from undissolved residue of the mixed hydrous oxides.

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