URANIUM EXTRACTION BY ALKALINE LEACHING FROM BRECCIATED LIMESTONE HOSTED URANIUM DEPOSIT, GOGI AREA, BHIMA BASIN, KARNATAKA, INDIA

摘要

Uranium extraction studies have been carried out on the recently discovered brecciated uraniferous limestone deposit of Bhima basin, Gogi area, Gulbarga district, Karnataka. Uranium minerals, principally coffinite and pitchblende, are associated with sulfides and other organic matter. Physical beneficiation studies were attempted to upgrade uranium values using flotation technique to separate sulfides, carbonates and silicates. The tests did not indicate any marked enrichment in any fraction or result in reduction of acid consuming gangue. Alternatively, alkaline carbonate leaching on the ore (0.113 percent U_3O_8 ) has given encouraging results with leachabilities upto 87 percent U_3O_8. The technique and results of these studies are presented in this paper.