Scale-Up Preparation of Uranium Amalgam from Uranyl Ion Using Two-Compartment Electrolyzer

Abstract

A solid uranium amalgam containing as high as 1.7 g U/ml Hg was prepared electro-lytically using a two-compartment electrolyzer separated with a cation exchange mem-brane at a kilogram scale. The design and operation characteristics of the electrolyzer is described. The results indicate that ca. 170 g of uranium ion in an aqueous solution could be reduced to metallic state by forming amalgam within 4 h with a current efficiency of 30% and uranium recovery of more than 80%