Effects of barium chlorine treatment of uranium ore on /sup 222/Rn emanation and /sup 226/Ra leachability from mill tailings

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6476287

Ibrahim, S A; Church, S L; Whicker, F W

The purpose of this laboratory study was to investigate the effectiveness of barium chloride treatment of uranium ore on /sup 222/Rn emanation from mill tailings, /sup 226/Ra level in waste-water, and the leachability of radium from tailings. It has been shown that barium sulfate is an excellent carrier for radium and that barium sulfate crystals have high retention capacity for radon gas produced by radium trapped within the lattice. Ground uranium ore from a mine in Wyoming was mixed with water to form a 1:1 ratio before barium and potassium chlorides were added at concentrations of 0, 10, 25, 50, and 100 mg per liter of slurry. The ore was then subjected to a simulated mill process using sulfuric acid leaching. The liquid representing tailings pond water was separated and analyzed for /sup 226/Ra and the solid fraction, representing mill tailings, was tested for radon emanation and the leachability of radium by deionized water. This study suggests that barium treatment of uranium ore prior to sulfuric acid leaching could be effective in reducing radon emanation from tailings and also in reducing the /sup 226/Ra concentration of waste-water. Leachability of radium from treated tailings was markedly reduced.

• Research Organization: Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (USA). Dept. of Civil Engineering
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-79EV10305
• OSTI ID: 6476287
• Report Number(s): CONF-850242-10; ON: DE86003160
• Resource Relation: Conference: 7. symposium on management of uranium mill tailings, low-level waste and hazardous waste, Ft. Collins, CO, USA, 6 Feb 1985; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
MILL TAILINGS
STABILIZATION
RADIUM 226
COPRECIPITATION
LEACHING
RADON 222
DIFFUSION
URANIUM ORES
ORE PROCESSING
BARIUM CHLORIDES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
POTASSIUM CHLORIDES
RADIOACTIVITY
SULFURIC ACID
WASTE WATER
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISSOLUTION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPES
LIQUID WASTES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ORES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
PRECIPITATION
PROCESSING
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON ISOTOPES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
050400* - Nuclear Fuels- Feed Processing
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
052001 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing