Patent ID: 7780921
Filing Date: 2010-08-24
Classification: B01D,B01F,C01G,C22B,G21F,Y02P

Abstract:
1. An apparatus to remove uranium from a body of solid material, comprising: at least one ultrasonic extractor, having a bottom and a top; the at least one ultrasonic extractor configured to accept solids at the bottom and acid at the top, such that the acid flows through the ultrasonic extractor; wherein the at least one ultrasonic extractor comprises a mixing screw and at least one source of ultrasonic energy; wherein the mixing screw is configured to transport the solids in a direction countercurrent to the flow of the acid in the at least one ultrasonic extractor; and the source of ultrasonic energy is configured to impart ultrasonic energy into the solids and the acid, as the solids and the acid traverse the at least one ultrasonic extractor countercurrently; wherein the apparatus further comprises at least one of: (a) a combustion chamber and a combustible material feed system, connected to the combustion chamber; and (b) a feed tank and a pump and an extraction mixer settler connected to the feed tank; wherein the combustion chamber is configured to combust material and a fuel, thereby producing a combustion product, and providing at least a portion of the solids to the at least one ultrasonic extractor; and the combustible material feed system is connected to the combustion chamber, and configured to feed material into the combustion chamber; wherein at least one of the ultrasonic counter-current screw extractors is configured to accept combustion product from the combustion chamber; and wherein, the feed tank and the pump are connected to the at least one ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor, the pump configured to remove acid from the bottom of the at least one ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor, and pump the removed acid to the feed tank; and the extraction mixer settler is connected to the feed tank, the extraction mixer settler configured to treat material received from the feed tank in an aqueous phase and an organic phase; wherein the extraction mixer settler comprises an aqueous phase outlet, connected to a raffinate treatment system, and an organic phase outlet, connected to an organic phase reconditioning system; the raffinate treatment system is configured to treat raffinate waste from the extraction mixer settler; and the organic phase reconditioning system is configured to recondition the organic phase for the extraction mixer settler.