Thermal stabilization of uranium mill tailings
The sintering of tailings at high temperatures (1200/sup 0/C) has shown promise as a conditioning approach that greatly reduces the /sup 222/Rn emanation of uranium mill tailings. The structure of thermally stabilized tailings has been appreciably altered producing a material that will have minimal management requirements and will be applicable to on-site processing and disposal. The mineralogy of untreated tailings is presented to define the structure of the original materials. Quartz predominates in most tailings samples; however, appreciable quantities of gypsum, clay, illite, or albites are found in some tailings. Samples from the Durango and Shiprock sites have plagioclase-type aluminosilicates and non-aluminum silicates as major components. The iron-rich vanadium tailings from the Salt Lake City site contain appreciable quantities of ..cap alpha..-hematite and chloroapatite. The reduction in radon emanation power and changes in mineralogy as a function of sintering temperature (500 to 1200(NiAsS) are considered possible species for consideraed. The calculated activity data of the various carbonate, sulfate and hydroxide species in the Li/sup +/Na/sup +/K/sup +//CO/sub 3/ = SO/sub 4/ = OH/sup -/ system have been combined f liquidus surfaces, and estimated error limits are given for each system. A comng payback period, but as the initial cost of the SAHPS is reduced and fuel prices increase, the payback period of a SAHPS will be shorter and could be competitive with other conventional heating/cooling systems.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5914663
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-81-2734; CONF-811049-1; ON: DE82000562; TRN: 82-000236
- Resource Relation:
- Journal Volume: 18; Journal Issue: 9; Conference: 4. symposium on uranium mill tailings management, Fort Collins, CO, USA, 26 Oct 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
MILL TAILINGS
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SINTERING
RADON 222
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
MINERALOGY
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CONTROL
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FABRICATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
POLLUTION CONTROL
RADIOISOTOPES
RADON ISOTOPES
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
510301 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)
580300 - Mineralogy
Petrology
& Rock Mechanics- (-1989)