Extraction of uranium, thorium and lanthanides using Cyanex-923: Their separations and recovery from monazite

The extraction behavior of uranium, thorium and lanthanides, represented by cerium and ytterbium. by Cyanex-923 has been investigated. The effect of different variables like the concentration of acids, metal ion and extractant, nature of diluent and temperature has been studied. A composition for the extracted U(VI) and Th(IV) species has been proposed. Based on the partition data some important binary and ternary separations involving the aforesaid metal ions have been achieved. The proposed procedure has been applied for the recovery of uranium, thorium and lanthanide fraction from monazite sand. The stability and regeneration capacity of the extractant have been evaluated.