Recovery of U3O8 by Underground Leaching
Robert A. MacGregor Stanrock Uranium Mines Ltd., Elliot Lake, Ont.
Following several months of test work, water leaching in mined-out areas at Stanrock commenced on a production basis in February, 1963. A combination of fast high-pressure washing and rewashing of stopes on a predetermined cycle, and the intermittent sprinkling of lowgrade heaps, using both fresh water and recirculated acid water, has proved most successful. There was also a correlation of daily sampling data points to a relationship between the leach water grade and the grade of the material being washed, the leaching time and the location along the dip. An increasing tolerance for uranium by the acid-producing bacteria is also indicated.
Keywords:
bacteria, Leaching Sulphide Minerals, stopes, sulphuric acid, uranium, leaching, Mine, Mines, stope, stopes, Washing, Water, Waters
