Abstract: This present invention provides a process of recovering uranium from a uranium-containing acid lixiviation solution comprising extracting the lixiviation solution with an organic extractant comprising an organic diluent, a dialkyl pyrophosphoric acid, and a stabilization agent, and treating the mixture of solutions as follows:(a) bubbling anhydrous ammonia gas into the solution mixture to precipitate the ammonium salt of excess dialkyl pyrophosphoric acid; and(b) separating the precipitate from the solution and recovering the uranium from the solution.

Abstract: A method of extracting constituent metal values from sea nodules containing copper, cobalt, iron and nickel is disclosed. The method involves melting the nodules under reducing conditions to obtain a concentrate containing said metals and reacting the metal concentrate in an aqueous medium with gaseous chlorine to obtain an aqueous solution containing the chlorides of said metal. Copper is thereafter precipitated from the aqueous solution and subsequently electrorefined, while the iron and cobalt are extracted from the aqueous solution by means of organic extractants and then re-extracted from the organic phases by aqueous phases.