AP22685351 "Intensification of leaching solution for uranium by injection"

Relevance

The project is relevant in the context of the development of environmentally sound and efficient uranium mining technologies. The use of a venturi injector makes it possible to increase the leaching efficiency by optimally saturating the solution with oxygen, reducing costs and negative environmental impacts. This is especially important for the uranium mining industry of Kazakhstan, one of the world leaders in uranium production.

Purpose

The scientific project is aimed at studying the effect of oxygen on the leaching processes of solutions used in the extraction of uranium by underground borehole leaching using a Venturi injector. The project has multiple objectives: to expand knowledge in geotechnological processes, optimize uranium mining methods, reduce negative environmental impacts and increase production efficiency.

Expected and achieved results

Redox reactions play a key role in the PSV of uranium. A high E° value indicates strong oxidizing properties, which is especially important for uranium leaching. The article discusses the main reactions and factors affecting their effectiveness, with an emphasis on underground uranium leaching in Kazakhstan. The key stage of uranium mining is its leaching, which depends on the choice of oxidizing agents. Oxygen from the atmosphere is an affordable and economical oxidizer that converts Fe2⁺ to Fe3⁺, which increases the solubility of uranium. The oxygen concentration in the solution increases with increasing flow velocity: from 4.03 mg/l at 0.3 m/s to 8.5 mg/l at 1.8 m/s. The optimal flow rate is 0.7 m/s, at which oxygen dissolution is effective. The use of a Venturi tube makes it possible to economically saturate the solution with oxygen, which is preferable to using expensive compressors and oxygenators.

Research team members with their identifiers (Scopus Author ID, Researcher ID, ORCID, if available) and links to relevant profiles