ABSTRACT
The uranium industry uses a variety of methods to recover uranium from the ground, but these basically fall into two categories: conventional and nonconventional. The uranium industry is testing alternative methods of uranium recovery to counter the rising capital and operating costs associated with underground and open-pit mining. In selected cases, uranium may be recovered from the water removed from a uranium mine. Phosphate rock normally contains a low concentration of uranium, about 0.01 percent or less. In the conversion of the phosphate mineral into agricultural fertilizer, dissolved uranium exists as a residual product, and can be recovered by chemical processing. Although similar to open-pit coal operations, openpit uranium mines usually cover much less area and may go deeper. The open-pit method is favored when deposits are near the surface and are covered with loose, easily-removable soil. Several companies have been testing solution mining in Wyoming and Texas, with plans for commercial uranium recovery.
