Application of Laboratory Column Leaching tests in Heap  Leaching Technique

Madnezhad, M; Alaghband, A; Nozari, N

Application of Laboratory Column Leaching tests in Heap Leaching Technique

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

M Madnezhad

A Alaghband

N Nozari

Abstract

The most important aspects of heap leaching is it's potential to produce uranium at lower costs, if it is applied to a suitable ore deposit. Prior to set up a heap at industrial scale, it is necessary to collect data on leaching behavior of the ore by laboratory column leaching tests. This paper discusses the research work performed to determine permeability of the ore,the consumption of chemicals, the composition of leach solution and influence of effective parameters on uranium recovery. A laboratory system was developed for simultaneous column leaching test on 6 column with 6 different samples coming from different points of ore body at the same time.Tests were carried out on 3 samples (2 column of each),
1- Main ore body
2- Representative sample from ores
3- Radiometric concentrate of surface sample
Dependence of the recovery with the treatment condition, time (d), L/S (l/t), acid(kg/t) oxidant (kg/t), PH, EMF were studied. As a result the recovery of U was more than90% for a period of 3 weeks and (98% in 4 weeks) while the consumption of acid was 55kg/t.

Highlights

1. Z. Changen, Z. changen, Z. Bllin, W. Shuhui, The final report on item 2.2.9 of contract NO.89RBAW-TOO2, CNNC, China (1992).

2. D. Linan, "the final report on process mineraligical study," Beijing Research Institute of chemcial Engineering and Metallurgy, CNNC, China (1992).

3. ب‌. سامانی،‌ گزارش‌ داخلی‌ شماره‌ 220 واحد اکتشاف، ‌“پدیده‌های‌ زمین‌شناسی‌ و کانی‌سازی‌ اورانیوم‌ در منطقه‌ ساغند،” (1366).

4. W. Shuhui, "Final work report of sampling," (1990).

5. The extractive mettallurgy of uranium by R.C. Merit, Colorado School of Mines Institute (1971).

6. Recovery of uranium from low-grade sandstone ores and phosphate rock, by, R. H. Kennedy, Processing of low - grade uranuim ores (1979).

7. "Uranium extraction technology," I.A.E.A, R.Series, NO.359, Vienna (1993).

8. Heap leaching test report on Bandar- Abbas uranium ores, chen – xiangbiao, 3 hong-pingru, wang Desheng (1991).

Keywords

heap leaching

column leaching

radiometric sorting

1. Z. Changen, Z. changen, Z. Bllin, W. Shuhui, The final report on item 2.2.9 of contract NO.89RBAW-TOO2, CNNC, China (1992).

2. D. Linan, "the final report on process mineraligical study," Beijing Research Institute of chemcial Engineering and Metallurgy, CNNC, China (1992).

4. W. Shuhui, "Final work report of sampling," (1990).