PETROLOGY AND MINERALOGY OF IN-SITU LEACHING URANIUM PROCESS TEST OF THE MANGLAI URANIUM DEPOSIT IN ERLIAN BASIN,INNER MONGOLIA
The petrology and mineralogy of leachable sandstone-type uranium deposits play a crucial role in selecting the in-situ leaching process and determining the concentration of leaching agents.Conducting in-situ leaching uranium tests proves to be one of the most effective methods for qualitatively and quantita-tively understanding the reaction processes between minerals and leaching agents.In this study,various methods,including X-ray fluorescence spectrometry(XRF),non-aqueous titration,electron probe micro-analysis(EPMA),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM),were employed to explore the mineralogical features of rocks in the Manglai uranium deposit.Agitation leaching tests and different acidity injection leaching tests were conducted.The findings are as follows:1.The ore-related rocks predominantly consist of sandstone and conglomerate,with feldspar lithic sandstone being prevalent in the sandstone ore.The sandstone composition includes an average quartz content of 53.60％,an average feldspar content of 20.10％,and an average debris content of 10.40％.Heavy minerals are generally less than 1％,indicating characteristics of proximity to the source and low compositional maturity.2.Clay minerals in the ore are present as matrix,with an average content of 14.30％in sandstone ore and 12.00％in conglomerate ore.Mainly composed of illite-montmorillonite mixed layers and illite.3.The carbonate content is very low,with an average of 0.41％in surrounding rocks and 0.48％in ore.4.Uranium occurs primarily as ad-sorbed uranium and uranium minerals,with pitchblende,uraninite,and a small amount of uranium stone being the main uranium minerals.The occurrence forms include gel-like or blocky pitchblende around and within pyrite fractures,worm-like structures of phosphocalcic uranium on clay minerals and around pyrite,and gel-like and small particle forms of coffinite around quartz and within pyrite fractures.5.Stirring leac-hing and different acidity injection leaching tests reveal low acid-consuming material content in the ore.U-sing H2SO4 with a concentration of 10 g/L in the stirring leaching test achieves a leaching rate of 81.50％,without blockage and enhancing economic benefits.Based on this study,the acid leaching process is deemed suitable for the Manglai uranium deposit,and a recommended sulfuric acid concentration of 10 g/L in field leaching tests provides a vital foundation for subsequent expansion tests and practical devel-opment.This research contributes significantly to advancing the theoretical and practical aspects of in-situ leaching uranium technology in the ancient valley sandstone-type uranium deposit of the Erlian Basin.
ManglaiSandstone-type uranium depositsrock mineralogyIn-situ leaching uranium process test
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