Treatment of liquid effluent from uranium mines and mills. Report of a co-ordinated research project 1996-2000

Treatment and control of liquid effluents produced during uranium mining and milling operations is an integral part of environmental project management. Research has continued to add to the large body of science that has been built up around the treatment of radioactive and non-radioactive effluents to minimize their long-term environmental impact. The objective of the meetings on which this publication is based was to exchange information on active effluent treatment technologies that have application during operations and passive treatment techniques such as constructed wetlands and use of micro-organisms that are applicable during project reclamation and long-term care and maintenance. Papers describe effluent treatment case histories from active uranium mining and processing operations as well as effluent treatment research on both active and passive systems that have potential application under a wide range of operating and post-operational conditions including new information on high-density sludge from effluent neutralization (Australia), aerated manganese hydroxide for removal of radium (China), nanofiltration and macropore resins to treat mine water (Australia and China), in situ microbial treatment and permeable reactive walls for treatment of contaminated groundwater (Germany), construction of wetlands to treat mine water runoff (Australia and Germany), biogenic granules to remove 226Ra from mill effluent (India), self-remediation of acidic in situ leach aquifers (Kazakhstan) and sorption characteristics of soil for self-remediation of contaminated groundwater (Hungary). These and other topics presented in this publication will be of interest to technical personnel who deal with day-to-day practical aspects of liquid effluent control and treatment at uranium production facilities worldwide