Heap Bioleaching of Low-grade Uranium Ore of Zoujiashan Uranium Deposit in Xiangshan Orefield

A 4133 tons plant-scale heap bioleaching of low-grade uranium ore of Zoujiashan uranium deposit in Xiangshan orefield was carried out, and the uranium content of raw ore is 0.127%. The initial acidification acidity is 30 g/L and the spray strength is 10 ∼ 15 L/(m² · h) for acidification pre-leaching, and the concentration of Fe³⁺ is controlled about 3 g/L at the bacterial leaching stage. After 150 days of bacterial leaching, uranium leaching rate reached 91.1%, acid consumption rate was 9.07%, while acid consumption rate of conventional acid leaching was 13%. These results show that bioleaching can extract uranium economically and efficiently from low-grade uranium ores, which provides a new way for the sustainable utilization of such uranium resources. (authors)