Radium removal from uranium ores and mill tailings
Mill tailings from conventional uranium extraction processes contain nearly all of the radium originally in the ore. Such tailings require controlled storage in perpetuity to safeguard the surrounding environment from radioactive contamination. Alternatives to controlled storage of the tailings are (1) removal of the radium from the tailings for separate storage or use or (2) removal of the radium when processing the uranium ore. In laboratory tests, radium was leached from tailings using either hydrochloric acid or ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. A hydrochloric acid leaching method was used to extract both radium and uranium from the ore to yield tailings containing less radium than those produced by either conventional sulfuric acid or alkaline leaching processes. From 77 to 94 percent of the radium in mill tailings was concentrated by sedimentation in slime fractions representing nearly 25 wt percent of the original sample.
- Research Organization:
- Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C. (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7262856
- Report Number(s):
- BM-RI-8099
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Extraction of radionuclides from low-grade ores and mill tailings. Final report, February 15, 1980-February 15, 1981
Removal of hazardous radionuclides from uranium ore and/or mill tailings. Progress report, October 1, 1978-September 30, 1979
Related Subjects
052001 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LEACHING
MANAGEMENT
METALS
ORE PROCESSING
ORES
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIUM
SEPARATION PROCESSES
URANIUM ORES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING