Availability of uranium at various prices from resources in the United States

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1971

OSTI ID:5323842

Bieniewski, C L; Persse, F H; Brauch, E F

In a Bureau of Mines supply evaluation, the known uranium resources in the United States are estimated to have a total recoverable uranium oxide (U/sub 3/O/sub 8/) content of 3,132,400 tons at prices up to $69.32 per pound. Only those resources were evaluated for which sufficient quantity data are available and process technology exists for recovering uranium. A total of 160,800 tons of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ is available at $8 per pound from ore deposits presently mined and an additional 244,700 tons is available at prices up to $30 per pound from similar but usually lower grade deposits. A total of 2,726,900 tons of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ is available from four other resources: copper leach solutions, wet-process phosphoric acid, Florida phosphate rock leached zone, and Chattanooga Shale. These resources contain from 30,000 tons of recoverable U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ at a price of $7.52 per pound as a by-product of copper leach solutions to 2,557,300 tons at a price of $69.32 per pound from Chattanooga Shale.

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C. (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5323842
• Report Number(s): BM-IC-8501
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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