Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

New approach to uranium mill tailings management. Final report, January 1, 1981-June 30, 1982

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6190398
The purpose of this research project is to demonstrate the possibility of development of efficient leaching processes for the extraction of uranium from low-grade ores and for the removal of long half-life radionuclides (radium-226) from the leach residues in order to produce radiochemically innocuous tailings. The present investigation is the second part of a three-year project. It provides kinetic information not heretofore available for uranium leaching by hydrochloric and sulfuric acid solutions and initial data for the extraction of /sup 226/Ra from the leach residues by brine solutions. Preliminary data on the removal of /sup 226/Ra from neutralized tailing effluents and leach solutions with commercially available solid organic ion exchangers are discussed. A generalized mathematical form has been developed for the initial rate of uranium extraction as a function of the leaching parameters using experimental data and a linear regression computation technique. 31 references, 5 figures, 8 tables.
Research Organization:
New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Technology, Socorro (USA). Dept. of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
OSTI ID:
6190398
Report Number(s):
NMERDI-2-69-1308; ON: DE85901063
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English