Effect of Microorganisms on In Situ Uranium Mining

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brierley CL ; Brierley JA ; Follin SE ; Yates MV
• Description:
  The extraction of some metal values, e.g., uranium or copper, may be accomplished by using solutions to remove metals from ore bodies without practicing conventional mining. This process is referred to as in situ leaching and has been used industrially to recover uranium. The growth of microbial populations during in situ leaching is believed to be one of the causes of flow path plugging in the ore body, which results in decreased uranium production. Leach solution and solid samples from well casings and submersible pumps were collected from an in situ mining operations experiencing plugging problems. Bacillus sp., Micrococcus sp., Pseudomonads, and xanthomonads were isolated from these samples on concentrations of 105 colony-forming units per milliliter. A mixed culture of these organisms was inoculated into a uranium core specimen in the laboratory to assess the role of microbes in the plugging problem. A one-third decrease in permeability was effected in 16 days. Hydrogen peroxide killed the microorganisms in the core and alleviated the plugging problems. Periodically injecting hydrogen peroxide into the ore body through the production wells may reduce microbial plugging problems. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0099-2240
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  SLRC - Salt Lake City Research Center ; TCRC - Twin Cities Research Center
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  46
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:10003252
• Citation:
  Appl Environ Microbiol 1983 Oct; 46(4):779-784
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1984
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied and Environmental Microbiology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ed318589f0673ee08625184c0096727bcb25c9c7eb88dfc10fdace15e40fb77f4fa89c309cd13417e012a4b0a047e19ae5a41525dc3bb44fa039243ea7aaba21
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219460/cdc_219460_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 870.83 KB ]