RECOVERY OF URANIUM FROM ACID MINE DRAINAGE WATERS BY ION EXCHANGE

Abstract

Of the many applications involving the use of ion exchange, the removal of contaminants in effluents ranks as one that has aroused considerable attention. In the present study, this process was used to remove and recover uranium from acid mine waters at Caldas Uranium Mining and Extraction Plant, in the southeast of Brazil. Studies of sorption and NaCl elution to recovery uranium as a commercial product, are presented. Lime precipitation tests with the effluent from the resin revealed an overall uranium decontamination level of 94% in the sludge when compared with the actual lime precipitation treatment of acid mine water.

Keywords:

• uranium
• ion exchange
• acid mine drainage (AMD)

The authors gratefully acknowledge the work of chemical analyses done by the Process and Quality Control Laboratory of CUMEP and radiometric analyses from CNEN/Poços de Caldas Laboratory Division.

Notes

(1) IAEA (1993).