Experimental study on the mass transfer performance of a horizontal pulsed column for uranium recovery from a sulfate leach liquor with Alamine 336 using mathematical model

In this investigation, the concentration profiles in both phases were determined for the uranium extraction from a sulfate solution by Alamine 336 in a horizontal pulsed column. The leach liquor solution contained uranium, iron, magnesium, manganese, aluminum, calcium and other minor elements. The optimum operating parameters for uranium extraction have been carried out at the bench scale. An organic phase with 6% (v/v) Alamine 336 and 5% (v/v) isodecanol in kerosene was chosen to examine the mass transfer performance of the extraction column. The volumetric overall mass transfer of the continuous phase, back mixing parameters and axial dispersion coefficients of two phases were calculated by using plug flow, backflow and axial dispersion models. The influence of operating parameters such as pulsation intensity and phase flow rates on these parameters was studied. The values of volumetric overall mass transfer coefficient calculated by axial dispersion are greater than those models. Because the axial mixing improves the mass transfer performance of this column. The obtained results of the pilot plant experiments showed that the mass transfer performance of this column is high for the uranium extraction from sulfate leach liquors. Furthermore, the practical and novel correlations have been determined for prediction of mass transfer parameters (such as K(oc)a, E-c, E-d, alpha, beta), which are closely matched with the experimental results in the horizontal pulsed column. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.