Engineering assessment of inactive uranium mill tailings
The Grand Junction site has been reevaluated in order to revise the October 1977 engineering assessment of the problems resulting from the existence of radioactive uranium mill tailings at Grand Junction, Colorado. This engineering assessment has included the preparation of topographic maps, the performance of core drillings and radiometric measurements sufficient to determine areas and volumes of tailings and radiation exposures of individuals and nearby populations, the investigations of site hydrology and meteorology, and the evaluation and costing of alternative corrective actions. Radon gas released from the 1.9 million tons of tailings at the Grand Junction site constitutes the most significant environmental impact, although windblown tailings and external gamma radiation are also factors. The eight alternative actions presented herein range from millsite and off-site decontamination with the addition of 3 m of stabilization cover material (Option I), to removal of the tailings to remote disposal sites and decontamination of the tailings site (Options II through VIII). Cost estimates for the eight options range from about $10,200,000 for stabilization in-place to about $39,500,000 for disposal in the DeBeque area, at a distance of about 35 mi, using transportation by rail. If transportation to DeBeque were by truck, the cost estimated to be about $41,900,000. Three principal alternatives for the reprocessing of the Grand Junction tailings were examined: (a) heap leaching; (b) treatment at an existing mill; and (c) reprocessing at a new conventional mill constructed for tailings reprocessing. The cost of the uranium recovered would be about $200/lb by heap leach and $150/lb by conventional plant processes. The spot market price for uranium was $25/lb early in 1981. Therefore, reprocessing the tailings for uranium recovery appears not to be economically attractive.
- Research Organization:
- Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah, Inc., Salt Lake City (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76GJ01658
- OSTI ID:
- 6319938
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/UMT-0105; FBDU-360-09; ON: DE81028499; TRN: 81-013776
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ABANDONED SITES
DECONTAMINATION
COST
MILL TAILINGS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
COLORADO
DRILL CORES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
GASES
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROLOGY
LAND RECLAMATION
LEACHING
METEOROLOGY
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADON
RECOVERY
RISK ASSESSMENT
STABILIZATION
URANIUM
ACTINIDES
CLEANING
DISSOLUTION
DOSES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
MANAGEMENT
METALS
MONITORING
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
POPULATIONS
RARE GASES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
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