Evaluation of a new Milling Process for the Caetité-Brazil Uranium Ore

The Caetité-Brazil uranium facilities produce about 340 t/y of uranium from an ore averaging 0,25 U %. The process steps are ore crushing, heap leaching with sulfuric acid, U separation and purification by solvent extraction with tertiary amine followed by stripping with sodium chloride solution and precipitation as ammonium diuranate that is dryed. A change in the milling process is being evaluated to increase the production and the uranium recovery. Heap leaching will be changed to conventional tank agitated leaching of the ?590 ground ore slurry in sulfuric acid medium. The replacement of the stripping reagent is also being considered.