Review and Prospect of Uranium Mining and Metallurgy in China
Received:June 29, 2021   Revised:June 29, 2021   Accepted:June 30, 2021      Published Online:July 29, 2021
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DOI:doi:10.3969/j.issn.1007-7545.2021.08.001
KeyWord:uranium mining and metallurgy; hard-rock type uranium deposits; sandstone-type uranium deposits; underground mining; in-situ leaching; intelligent mines
                 
AuthorInstitution
SUN Zhan-xue 核资源与环境国家重点实验室
ASGHAR Fiaz 核资源与环境国家重点实验室
ZHAO Kai 核资源与环境国家重点实验室
ZHOU Yi-peng 核资源与环境国家重点实验室
LI Guang-rong 核资源与环境国家重点实验室
XU Ling-ling 核资源与环境国家重点实验室
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Abstract:
      Uranium mining and metallurgy in China began in 1950s, including volcanic rock type, granite type, carbonaceous siliceous-pelitic type, sandstone type and coal rock type. In the early stage, conventional underground mining was mainly used for volcanic and coal type uranium deposits, while open pit mining was used for some shallow buried uranium deposits; The ore is ground broken, stirred, leached or heap leached to produce uranium. Since 1990s, uranium mining has been gradually transformed to sandstone type uranium deposits. Mining of sandstone type uranium deposits is carried out by in-situ leaching with integration of mining and metallurgy. According to different leaching agents, it is mainly divided into acid leaching, alkali leaching, neutral (CO2+O2) leaching process, among which acid leaching and neutral leaching process are most widely used in China. In recent years, bioleaching technology has made great progress in heap leaching and in-situ leaching of uranium ore, and some of them have been applied in industry. Clean, efficient and digital empowerment are the development direction of uranium mining and metallurgy. Building a green, efficient and intelligent uranium mining base is becoming a new driving force for high-quality development of uranium industry in China.
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