Rhenium Isotope Reconnaissance of Uranium Ore Concentrates

Sullivan, Daniel L.; Brennecka, Gregory A.; Grant, Katherine E.; Anbar, Ariel D.

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118898

Rhenium Isotope Reconnaissance of Uranium Ore Concentrates

Journal Article · Mon Aug 12 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Earth and Planetary Science Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118898· OSTI ID:2447056

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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)

Exploration of natural isotopic variations of the element rhenium (Re) is in its infancy, with initial studies revealing isotopic fractionation in a variety of geological materials. Here, in this work, we investigate Re isotope variation as a new geochemical tool, given its redox-sensitive properties and affinity for organic matter and sulfides. In this work, Re abundance and isotope ratio data were collected from uranium ore concentrates (UOCs) across a variety of depositional ages, locations, geologic settings, and deposit types. Ore types from which the UOC were derived include sandstone, unconformity, and quartz-pebble (QP) conglomerate. To isolate Re from the U-rich matrix of UOCs, a new purification method utilizing DGA ion exchange resin was developed. We found that UOCs exhibit a wide range of Re isotope ratios, with sandstone ore-derived UOCs having the isotopically lightest values, QP conglomerate ore-derived UOCs having the heaviest, and unconformity ore-derived UOCs in between (with some overlap with sandstone UOCs). The Re isotope ratio range observed in UOCs extends previously reported values by more than a factor of two. Industrial processing (e.g., incomplete recovery of Re from ore, contamination, fractionation during processing) may play a role in the isotopic variability in the UOCs. However, systematic differences between ore types suggest that the depositional setting is a significant factor. For nuclear forensic investigations, Re isotopic compositions combined with data from other isotopic systems provide geochemical signatures that can aid in provenance assessment of UOCs. Regardless of the specific causes for the wide range of Re isotope ratios in UOCs, these initial data indicate Re is a promising tool for nuclear forensic investigations on samples from early in the nuclear fuel cycle.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 2447056

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2429622

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-849954; 1074083

Journal Information:: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Journal Name: Earth and Planetary Science Letters Vol. 644; ISSN 0012-821X

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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58 GEOSCIENCES
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