A suggested eco-friendly procedure for the recovery of uranium from Egyptian Abu Tartur phosphorites before industrial processing.

This article focuses on an environmentally friendly method for extracting uranium from Egyptian Abu Tartur phosphate rocks using humic acid (HA) and activated carbon. The study demonstrates that nearly complete uranium dissolution (up to 98.6%) is achieved under optimal conditions—3% HA concentration, 12 days soaking, 60°C leaching temperature, and a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1/2—while minimizing the leaching of other elements. Uranium is then effectively adsorbed from the HA leachate onto activated carbon, with optimal adsorption at pH 6, 50 minutes contact time, and 1 g adsorbent per 100 mL solution, achieving about 97% recovery. Subsequent desorption using 0.5 M ammonium bicarbonate at 65°C recovers uranium with 98.9% efficiency, culminating in the precipitation of uranium as sodium diuranate. This process offers a sustainable approach to uranium recovery from phosphate ores, reducing environmental contamination and conserving a valuable nuclear resource.