How is uranium obtained

Uranium is widespread in many rocks, and even in seawater. However, like other metals, it is seldom sufficiently concentrated to be economically recoverable. Where it is, we speak of an orebody. In defining what is ore, assumptions are made about the cost of mining and the market price of the metal. Uranium reserves are therefore calculated as tonnes recoverable up to a certain cost. NB: the figures in this table are liable to change as new data becomes available.

Mining methods have been changing. From the new Canadian mines increased it again. In situ leach ISL, also called in situ recovery, ISR mining has been steadily increasing its share of the total, mainly due to Kazakhstan, and in accounted for over half of production:. Uranium is sold only to countries which are signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty NPT , and which allow international inspection to verify that it is used only for peaceful purposes.

Many people, when talking about nuclear energy, have only nuclear reactors or perhaps nuclear weapons in mind. Few people realise the extent to which the use of radioisotopes has changed our lives over the last few decades.

Using relatively small special-purpose nuclear reactors, it is possible to make a wide range of radioactive materials radioisotopes at low cost. For this reason the use of artificially-produced radioisotopes has become widespread since the early s, and there are now about 'research' reactors in 56 countries producing them.

These are essentially neutron factories rather than sources of heat. In our daily life we need food, water and good health. Today, radioactive isotopes play an important part in the technologies that provide us with all three.

They are produced by bombarding small amounts of particular elements with neutrons. In medicine , radioisotopes are widely used for diagnosis and research. Radioactive chemical tracers emit gamma radiation which provides diagnostic information about a person's anatomy and the functioning of specific organs.

Radiotherapy also employs radioisotopes in the treatment of some illnesses, such as cancer. About one person in two in the Western world is likely to experience the benefits of nuclear medicine in their lifetime. More powerful gamma sources are used to sterilise syringes, bandages and other medical utensils — gamma sterilisation of equipment is almost universal.

In the preservation of food , radioisotopes are used to inhibit the sprouting of root crops after harvesting, to kill parasites and pests, and to control the ripening of stored fruit and vegetables. Irradiated foodstuffs are accepted by world and national health authorities for human consumption in an increasing number of countries.

They include potatoes, onions, dried and fresh fruits, grain and grain products, poultry and some fish. Some prepacked foods can also be irradiated. In the growing of crops and breeding livestock , radioisotopes also play an important role.

They are used to produce high yielding, disease-resistant and weather-resistant varieties of crops, to study how fertilisers and insecticides work, and to improve the productivity and health of domestic animals.

Industrially , and in mining, they are used to examine welds, to detect leaks, to study the rate of wear of metals, and for on-stream analysis of a wide range of minerals and fuels. There are many other uses.

A radioisotope derived from the plutonium formed in nuclear reactors is used in most household smoke detectors. Radioisotopes are used to detect and analyse pollutants in the environment, and to study the movement of surface water in streams and also of groundwater.

There are also other uses for nuclear reactors. About small nuclear reactors power some ships, mostly submarines, but ranging from icebreakers to aircraft carriers. These can stay at sea for long periods without having to make refuelling stops. In the Russian Arctic where operating conditions are beyond the capability of conventional icebreakers, very powerful nuclear-powered vessels operate year-round, where previously only two months allowed northern access each year.

The heat produced by nuclear reactors can also be used directly rather than for generating electricity. In Sweden, Russia and China, for example, surplus heat is used to heat buildings. Nuclear heat may also be used for a variety of industrial processes such as water desalination. A significant concern with in-situ leaching is the contamination of the soil and ground water in the vicinity, as well as the need to process and contain the massive amount of leaching solution.

Various treatment methods are used in the vicinity of plant for aquifer restoration, including removal of heavy metals. Uranium recovery from seawater has been researched as an alternative means of uranium production. Reports indicate that the uranium concentration in seawater is uniformly 3.

The main impediments to extracting uranium from seawater is the extremely large amount of water that must be processed. Uranium adsorbers and ion-exchange resins have been developed to help remove the uranium, but a significant amount of energy is consumed to pump water through these systems and many studies question the economic feasibility of this method of uranium extraction. Uranium extraction from ore involves the use of acid or base to break own and extract uranium from the raw ore.

These processes require significant amounts of acids or bases, the most commonly used being sulfuric acid and sodium carbonate, respectively. Depending on the leaching agents used, the uranium production process also involves several precipitation and purification steps post leaching that were not covered in this work.

The purpose of these steps is to isolate the uranium complexes from other metals and can be done using standard chemical purification processes, such as ion-exchange resins.

As the world's energy needs continue to rise and the nuclear power option becomes increasingly desirable, continued advances in the uranium mining and production may be achieved. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only.

All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author. Rich, U. Petersen and H. Holland, Hydrothermal Uranium Deposits Elsevier, Kim, ed. People traveling on roads made with waste rock were in danger of breathing radioactive dust.

The EPA relies on several regulations and laws to protect people and the environment from radiation exposure from the uranium extraction process. The Clean Air Act limits the amount of radon that can be released from tailings impoundments and underground uranium mines.

Runoff water from mines, mills, and ore piles is regulated under the Clean Water Act. The Safe Drinking Water Act sets limits for radionuclides in drinking water. Some uranium mining and milling sites are cleaned up under the EPA Superfund program. Summary of the Clean Water Act This webpage provides a summary of the Clean Water Act and provides links to information about the statute.

Uranium This webpage provides general information about uranium, including sources of uranium, uranium in the environment and health information. The NRC licenses and oversees the operations of mills, heaps and in situ leaching mines. Facilities must prove they have a radiation safety program to protect workers in order to get an NRC license. Each state has a radiation program that ensures the safe use of radioactive materials.

Many states have signed formal agreements with the NRC to get authority over the licensing and operations at mills and in situ leaching mines.

These states are known as Agreement States. Agreement States inspect facilities to make sure the staff is properly trained and that equipment is operating safely. MSHA enforces safety and health rules at mines and mills. These rules help reduce health hazards and prevent accidents in the nation's mines and mills. The DOE takes control of closed and reclaimed mills. At the direction of Congress, the DOE cleans up mill sites and vicinity properties.

The Bureau manages about million more acres of underground mines, including uranium mines. The Office of Surface Mining provides funds to many state and tribal agencies for cleaning up uranium mines on their land.