Abstract: Mineral values, particularly uranium, are recovered from mineral containing ore by separating the ore into a coarse fraction and a fines fraction, adding a diluent solid material, such as a portion of barren coarse fraction to the fines fraction and leaching the thus diluted fines fraction with a leach solution. The coarse fraction is separately leached, preferably under mild conditions of temperature and leach solution concentration. In another aspect, the total ore is leached, preferably under mild conditions, the thus leached ore is separated into a coarse fraction and a fines fraction, the fines fraction is again leached and at least a part of the leached fines fraction from the second leach step is recycled to the first leach step.

Abstract: An ore containing an increased percentage of mineral values, particularly uranium values, is separated from an ore containing a lower percentage of such mineral values by contacting the ore containing the lower percentage of mineral values with a polar solvent, particularly water, and a nonpolar solvent, such as an isoparaffin mixture, and separating a polar solvent phase containing a portion of the contacted ore from a nonpolar solvent containing another portion of the contacted ore. The ore may be a total ore containing both coarse and fines or a fines fraction which has been separated from a total ore as by wet classification. Where a total ore is treated in accordance with the present invention, in one embodiment of the invention, a coarse ore fraction can be separated from the total ore either during the contacting step or the separating step.