Characteristics and Evaluation of Leaching Behavior of
Uranium Mineralization in Qash Amir Granite, South
Eastern Desert, Egypt
Volume 5 - Issue 1
Mohamed S Nagar*, Bayoumi MB and Walid M Morsy
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- Nuclear Materials Authority, El Maadi, Egypt
*Corresponding author:
Mohamed S Nagar, Nuclear Materials Authority, El Maadi, Egypt
Received: December 18, 2020; Published: January 28, 2021
DOI: 10.32474/AOICS.2021.05.000201
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Abstract
In the Halaib area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt, numerous occurrences of uranium have been found. Uranium occurs as
disseminated minerals (uraninite, uranophane, beta-uranophane) in G. Qash Amir muscovite monzogranite. The muscovite
monzogranite (G. Qash Amir) is affected by deutric alteration and characterized by gradational contact with two-mica monzogranite,
peraluminous in nature with visible primary and secondary uranium minerals, beryl and columbite. Uranium dissolution efficiency
of 81.0 % was obtained using acid agitation leaching without oxidant addition, while dissolution efficiency increased to about 92%
when ORP was increased to about 475mV using MnO2 as an oxidizing agent in Qash Amir uranium mineralization. Column tests
were performed to study the effect of the parameters on uranium leaching and acid consumption. After 40 days of columns leaching
testes, uranium recovery of 74.2% was obtained at a flow rate of 10 l/m2/h and acid consumption was achieved by 26.2 kg per ton
of ore. The addition of MnO2 as oxidant leads to a significant increase in the column leaching efficiency to 87% and decreasing acid
consumption to 22kg per ton of ore in 35 days. The plot of 1-(1-x)1/3 vs. t is linear and the R squared values for particle diffusion
control line is 0.98, therefore the shrinking-core model is verified.
Keywords:Column leaching; Uranium leaching efficiency; MnO2 oxidant; shrinking core model
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