A method for purification of a target material for re-use in the production of radio-isotopes is disclosed, and includes obtaining a solution of irradiated target material, comprising Ra-226 and optionally Ra-225 and Ac-225, and subsequently adding an acid, being HNO3, in a predetermined quantity and providing conditions for quantitatively dissolving the target material and avoiding co-precipitation of the optionally present radio-isotopes. The method includes selectively removing H2O from the solution by distillation, leaving the acid predominantly inside the solution thereby allowing the target material to precipitate while the acid concentration in the solution increases and thereby reducing or avoiding co-precipitation of the optionally present radio-isotopes and impurities. After removal of the excess H2O, the method comprises lowering the temperature of the solution to maximize the precipitation of the target material and reduce the solubility of the target material in the remaining liquid.

An efficient multiphase-flow graded-separation, concentration, and purification system for argillaceous sandstone uranium ore includes a hydraulic tossing washing and scattering pretreatment device, a high-frequency linear vibration grading device, a first-stage multiphase-flow swirling grading device, an energy-gathering ultrasonic scrubbing device, a second-stage multiphase-flow swirling grading device, a high-frequency linear vibration dewatering device, an efficient uniform-mixing and activating system and a conditioning and pressing dewatering system. The present disclosure implements intensive mud-sand stripping of crushed argillaceous sandstone uranium ore, fine graded-separation of material, and efficient uniform-mixing and activating and deep efficient dewatering of fine-particle argillaceous material. Finally, four types of core material of coarse sand material, fine sand material, dry tailings residue and a high-concentration uranium ore leaching solution are formed through continuous work. Efficient multiphase-flow graded-separation, concentration and purification of the argillaceous sandstone uranium ore are implemented, and an intensive extraction rate of uranium ore resources is improved.

A metal-binding protein having a high selective affinity for certain trivalent cations and/or tetravalent cations derived from, for example, rare earth elements or ions thereof such as lanthanide elements and actinides or ions thereof as well as from hafnium and zirconium elements or compounds thereof is disclosed as well as sensors including same and methods for capturing and separating such trivalent cations and/or tetravalent cations using the metal-binding protein.

A metal-binding protein having a high selective affinity for certain trivalent cations and/or tetravalent cations derived from, for example, rare earth elements or ions thereof such as lanthanide elements and actinides or ions thereof as well as from hafnium and zirconium elements or compounds thereof is disclosed as well as sensors including same and methods for capturing and separating such trivalent cations and/or tetravalent cations using the metal-binding protein.

A method for purifying Ac from a mixture includes Ac and at least one element selected from Ra, Pb, Po, Bi and La. The method includes the steps of: (a) performing a first separation using a first extraction chromatographic column based on a first resin (either a diglycolamide resin or a dialkylphosphoric acid resin) and a first matrix solution; and (b) performing a second separation using a second extraction chromatographic column based on a second resin (respectively either a dialkylphosphoric acid resin or a diglycolamide resin).

The present disclosure provides a method for numerical simulation of reactive transport during CO.sub.2+O.sub.2 in-situ leaching of uranium at a sandstone-type uranium deposit. Unlike the traditional method for numerical simulation of solute transport during in-situ leaching of uranium with consideration of only convection and diffusion, the method permits establishment of a multi-field coupled reactive solute transport model to simulate the dynamic leaching process of a sandstone-type uranium deposit in Northern China. The method provided in the present disclosure includes: creating a thermodynamic database suitable for CO.sub.2+O.sub.2 leaching of a sandstone-type uranium deposit in Northern China, and with consideration of the dynamic reaction process of uranium dissolution under combined action of oxygen O.sub.2 (aq) and bicarbonate HCO.sub.3.sup., performing numerical simulation of reactive transport during CO.sub.2+O.sub.2 in-situ leaching of uranium using a TOUGHREACT simulation technology framework.

A method for separating thorium and cerium from a solid concentrate comprising compounds of thorium, cerium and further rare earth metals, comprising: a) contacting the solid concentrate with an acid to achieve an acid composition with a pH of less than 0.5; b) reacting the acid composition obtained in step a) with ozone or heating the acid composition at a temperature ranging from 110 C. to 130 C. for a time period ranging from 1 to 3 hours, thereby oxidizing the cerium ions in the acid composition to an oxidation state of +IV; c) increasing, to at most 2, the pH of the composition obtained in step b), resulting in the precipitation of thorium and cerium compounds; and d) separating the precipitated thorium and cerium compounds from the composition obtained in step c) to obtain an aqueous acidic rare earth solution depleted in thorium and cerium.

The present invention relates to a process for recovering metals from metal-bearing material, said process comprising the step of contacting the metal-bearing material with condensed phosphoric acid at a temperature of greater than 215 C. and less than 300 C. for a period of time sufficient to at least partially dissolve the metal-bearing material; to provide a leaching solution containing metal ions. The invention is applicable to a range of metals including the rare earth elements, as well as thorium and uranium. The invention is applicable to a range of metal-bearing materials, particularly phosphate minerals such as monazite and xenotime.

A one-step method for electrokinetic uranium extraction and separation from sandstone-type uranium deposit is provided, including: using an activating leaching agent to adjust pH of activation environment as pH3, converting uranium elements in sandstone-type uranium deposit into positively charged uranyl and its complexes; applying direct current (DC) electric field with voltage gradient of 0.1 V/cm to 2 V/cm between cathode and anode, and allowing the uranium elements to move toward a cathode chamber under the action of the electric field and to undergo selective reduction by receiving electrons to produce a low-valent insoluble uranium-containing substance precipitated on the cathode surface. The present invention, through activating leaching, allows the formation of positively charged uranium ions and their complexes only, and electrophysical effects such as electromigration and electroosmosis promote directional movement of uranium toward cathode, thereby achieving uranium extraction from a sandstone-type uranium deposit.

In one aspect, the technology relates to a method of producing Ac, the method including preparing a phosphate-modified titania material to produce an ion-exchange material, contacting a solution including .sup.229Th with the ion-exchange material to produce a Th-loaded titania material, eluting the Th-loaded titania material with a wash solution to produce an eluted solution containing eluted compounds including .sup.225Ac, concentrating the eluted solution to generate eluted compounds including the .sup.225Ac, and separating the .sup.225Ac from the eluted compounds.