Department of ion exchange technologies - ВНИИХТ
Department of ion exchange technologies

Directions of scientific research:

  • Development of sorption and extraction technologies for the complex processing of uranium ores with the associated production of pure compounds associated with uranium, molybdenum, rhenium, scandium, REE, thorium, vanadium and other metals.
  • Development of technologies for complex processing of productive solutions of heap and underground leaching.
  • Application of the electrodialysis process to create technologies for the regeneration of chemical reagents and desalination of solutions.
  • Organic synthesis of ion-exchange materials and membranes.
  • Technological testing of used ion-exchange materials for use in the nuclear industry.
  • Recommendations with the provision of signal samples on the use of ion-exchange absorbers for specific processes.
  • Issuance of initial technological data for the economic justification of investments and design of technological processes.

Technological schemes for the complex processing of various types of uranium raw materials using sorption processes at the initial operations and extraction processes at the stages of obtaining finished products have been developed for both silicate and carbonate ores with associated isolation of molybdenum, vanadium, and rhenium.

Sorption-extraction technologies have been implemented in the hydrometallurgical processing of noble metal ores, concentrates and middlings of refractory and non-ferrous metals, as well as in the treatment of industrial wastewater.

General purpose sorbents developed in the department are anion exchangers Rossion, AM, AMP, VP-1Ap, VP-1p, AM-2B, cation exchangers – KU-2-8n, SG-1m, KM-2p, ampholytes – AMK, VPK. VP-14K, VP-14KR on styrene and acrylate matrices have found their application in hydrometallurgy processes, including for the extraction of a wide range of metals directly from pulps, as well as for water treatment at thermal power plants and nuclear power plants.

Sorption processes and new synthesized materials have been used to extract antibiotics directly from culture liquid pulps, to purify solutions during the processing of milk, sugar syrups, and gelatin. Technologies for the synthesis and use of sorbents for the purification of drinking water of any initial composition have been tested.

For refining processes, technologies have been developed for the synthesis of highly efficient extractants of various types – TBP, D2EGFK, PAFNK, TAA, FOR, TOFO, IDDFK, SALEKS, processes based on multicomponent synergistic mixtures.

For the industrial operation of the processes, designs of highly efficient sorption and desorption apparatuses – SNK, PIK, KNSPR, IPKN, KDD of various modifications, extractors and electrodialyzers have been created.

There is equipment, qualified personnel and experience in the field of fine organic synthesis, including the manufacture of a number of medicinal substances using original technologies.

Experimental base

The department has a laboratory and its own pilot-industrial base for the development of synthesis technologies and the production of pilot batches of ion exchangers, extractants, selective membranes based on the formed information bank of ion-exchange materials for various purposes.