Waste Management for Uranium Ore Processing in Nuclear Materials Authority, Egypt - 2019

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Processing Yellowcake, Special Fuels, and Used Fuel Processing

Khawassek reported in 2019 at the Ninth International Symposium on Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material 23-27 September 2019, Denver, Colorado.

                                                                                                              Proposed Flow Diagram for the Treatment of the
                                                                                                                                    Effluent Liquid Solutions

The objective of this paper was to investigate the yellow cake precipitation from the liquid effluents produced from uranium ore processing pilot plant as a new approach for the liquid waste management at Nuclear Materials Authority, in order to avoid the environment pollution. For additional papers, see the above link. 

Here is an outline of this presentation:

I. Uranium Resources in Egypt.
II. Gattar Uranium Ore Processing Pilot Plant.
III. Waste Effluents produced from NORM & TENORM at Gattar Site.
IV. Liquid Waste Management.

The author concluded that the waste management for the liquid effluent that produced from Gattar uranium ore processing pilot plant has been achieved through the following stages:

1) Precipitation using sodium hydroxide,

2) uranium selective leaching using sodium carbonate, and

3) uranium oxide precipitation using hydrogen peroxide.

About 93% of the raffinate uranium content has been recovered by applying the suggested flow diagram. According to the proposed liquid effluent waste management approach, a friendly environmentally liquid effluent has been obtained. In addition, yellow cake has been produced as an added value to the proposed approach.