Metal and fluorine values recovery from mineral ore treatment

The process for separating U or Th values from values of at least one other metal such as Ta, Nb, Sc, Zr, Ti or Mg, wherein all of the values are contained in a difficult soluble matrix of highly fluorinated feed materials such as U or Th bearing ores or the processing products, processing intermediates, or processing residues thereof, the method comprising the steps of: (a) digesting the feed materials with an aqueous, mineral acid, digest medium containing one or more complexing materials such as H3BO3, or ions of group 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, or 7A metals, Fe, B, Al or Si; (b) maintaining the temperature of the medium between about 55 DEG C. and about 85 DEG C.; (c) reacting the materials in the medium for a sufficient period to solubilize essentially all of the U and Th values; (d) separating any remaining solids from the medium to provide an aqueous, acidic digest liquor containing the solubilized U or Th values and any solubilized other metal values; (e) intimately contacting the liquor with an organic phase to transport thereinto substantially all of the U or Th values and any of the solubilized other metal values which are extracted by the organic phase from the liquor; and (f) separating the organic phase containing at least the U or Th values from the liquor containing any of the solubilized other metal values which were not extracted into the organic phase to form a substantially non-radioactive, aqueous, acidic raffinate containing the solubilized non-extracted other metal values.