Geometallurgy of Australian uranium deposits

Australian uranium ores are often composed of complex mineral assemblages. Differences in ore compositions and textures are seen between deposits as well as within a single deposit, which can host a range of ore types. Such a wide variety of uranium ores make it impossible for a single extraction or treatment process to be developed that will accommodate all of the ores. From a mineralogical perspective, key issues confronting the Australian uranium mining industry include: the prevalence of low grade ores; a lack of detailed chemical and mineralogical information (uranium speciation, texture, grainsize) for the various ore deposit types; and the presence of refractory uranium-bearing minerals and highly acid-consuming gangue minerals. This paper reviews some of the main controls on uranium geometallurgy by linking concepts relating to ore genesis and the resulting ore mineralogy, with the processing behaviour of specific Australian uranium ore types. Emphasis is placed on the value of detailed ore mineralogical analysis and the insight this provides into the factors of importance when considering uranium extraction.