Uranium Mining and Milling - doe-hdbk-1113-98_reaffirm_2005

DOE-HDBK-1113-98

Module 102 The Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Lesson Plan

Instructor's Notes

Uranium Mining and Milling

Show OT-17

After removal from the mine, the uranium ore is

milled to extract the yellowcake. This involves the

following process:

a. The ore is crushed, ground, and mixed with

water to prepare for chemical processing.

b. The crushed ore and water mixture is mixed

with chemicals to separate the yellowcake from

the ore. This separation process is called

"leaching." The resultant products include a

slurry of yellowcake ready for additional

processing and a mixture of low-grade crushed

rock and sand called "mill tailings."

Only about 3 percent of the actual material

removed from the mine ends up a yellowcake,

which means that millions of tons of mill

tailings are leftover.