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USGS · 70016704

Leaching of 226Ra from components of uranium mill tailings

Abstract

A sequential extraction procedure was used to characterize the geochemical forms of 226 Ra retained by mixtures of quartz sand and a variety of fine-grained rock and mineral species. These mixtures had previously been exposed to the sulfuric acid milling liquor of a simulated acid-leach uranium milling circuit. For most test cases, the major fraction of the 226 Ra was extracted with 1 mol/1 NH 4 Cl and was deemed to be exchangeable. However, 226 Ra retained by the barite-containing mixture was resistant to both 1 mol/1 NH 4 Cl and 1 mol/HCHCl extraction.

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BibTeXRIS

E. R. Landa. 1991. Leaching of 226Ra from components of uranium mill tailings. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-386x(91)90010-j

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Leaching of molybdenum and arsenic from uranium ore and mill tailings

A sequential, selective extraction procedure was used to assess the effects of sulfuric acid milling on the geochemical associations of molybdenum and arsenic in a uranium ore blend, and the tailings derived therefrom. The milling process removed about 21% of the molybdenum and 53% of the arsenic initially present in the ore. While about one-half of the molybdenum in the ore was water soluble, only about 14% existed in this form in the tailings. The major portion of the extractable molybdenum in the tailings appears to be associated with hydrous oxides of iron, and with alkaline earth sulfate precipitates. In contrast with the pattern seen for molybdenum, the partitioning of arsenic into the various extractable fractions differs little between the ore and the tailings.

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