Submit an Article
Become a reviewer
RU
Vol 279
Pages:
98-111
In press
Article
Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

Oxidation kinetics of tetravalent uranium during sulfuric-acid leaching intensification under in-situ recovery conditions

Authors:
Zhanibek Seitov1
Bakytzhan Toktaruly2
Zhiger Kenzhetayev3
Bagdat Altaibayev4
About authors
Date submitted:
2025-04-16
Date accepted:
2025-12-24
Online publication date:
2026-06-10

Abstract

The paper examines how redox phenomena govern the recovery of uranium by in-situ recovery (ISR) technology, with particular emphasis on the role of oxygen and iron in the controlling reactions. A review is presented of the standard electrode potentials of the ionic species participating in the process, followed by a detailed examination of the conversion of Fe(II) to Fe(III) and its effect on uranium dissolution in acidic media. The experimental section addresses the oxygenation of acidic lixiviants through a Venturi-type nozzle. The findings demonstrate that tuning the redox conditions markedly enhances the productivity of ISR. Atmospheric oxygen, owing to its availability and cost efficiency, drives the Fe(II) → Fe(III) transition and thereby raises the solubility of uranium-bearing species. Through experiment, the flow velocity providing the maximum oxygen dissolution was identified. Incorporation of the Venturi nozzle substantially increased the dissolved-oxygen content of the lixiviant, which in turn raised the Fe(III) concentration and improved uranium recovery. The proposed approach yielded a 38.13 % increase in uranium extraction relative to the conventional procedure. The work confirms the importance of redox processes in uranium hydrometallurgy and justifies the need to optimize them for industrial gains. A Venturi nozzle embedded in an acidic recirculation loop, operated without any externally supplied oxidant, sustains an Eh elevation sufficient for the U(IV) → U(VI) transition through enhanced oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+. The study quantitatively documents a ~60-70 % rise in dissolved O2, an Eh increment of ~30-80 mV, and a corresponding gain in dissolved uranium.

Область исследования:
Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
Keywords:
uranium leaching in-situ recovery redox processes ferric ions (III) oxygen saturation Venturi nozzle
Funding:

The work was carried out with the financial support of the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (grant N AP 22685351).

Go to volume 279

References

  1. Rasskazov I.Y., Sekisov A.G., Rasskazova A.V. In-situ leaching of molybdenum and uranium by percarbonate and chloride-hypochlorite solutions. Journal of Mining Institute. 2022. Vol. 256, p. 623-631. DOI: 10.31897/PMI.2022.60
  2. Mwetulundila A.L., Atangana A. Modeling Borehole Interactions and In-situ Leach Uranium Mining Impacts on Groundwater in the Stampriet Aquifer. Earth Systems and Environment. 2026. Vol. 10. Iss. 1, p. 937-957. DOI: 10.1007/s41748-025-00637-8
  3. Sheng Zeng, Jinzhu Li, Kaixuan Tan, Shuwen Zhang. Fractal kinetic characteristics of hard-rock uranium leaching with sulfuric acid. Royal Society Open Science. 2018. Vol. 5. Iss. 9. N 180403. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180403
  4. Jing Huang, Mi Li, Xiaowen Zhang et al. Extraction of uranium from tailings by sulfuric acid leaching with oxidants. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2017. Vol. 69. N 012050. DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/69/1/012050
  5. Rashad M.M., Mohamed S.A., El-Sheikh E.M. et al. Kinetics of uranium leaching process using sulfuric acid for Wadi Nasib ore, South western Sinai, Egypt. Aswan University Journal of Environmental Studies. 2020. Vol. 1. N 2, p. 171-182. DOI: 10.21608/aujes.2020.127584
  6. Ying Xu, Limin Wang, Xuebin Su et al. Study on Mechanism of Oxygen Oxidation Leaching with Low Acid for High Acid Consumption Sandstone Uranium Deposit. Processes. 2023. Vol. 11. Iss. 3. N 746. DOI: 10.3390/pr11030746
  7. Collet A., Regnault O., Ozhogin A. et al. Three-dimensional reactive transport simulation of Uranium in situ recovery: Large-scale well field applications in Shu Saryssu Bassin, Tortkuduk deposit (Kazakhstan). Hydrometallurgy. 2022. Vol. 211. N 105873. DOI: 10.1016/j.hydromet.2022.105873
  8. Kassab W.A. Comparative study for leaching processes of uranium, copper and cadmium from gibbsite ore material of Talet Seleim, Southwestern, Sinai, Egypt. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry. 2023. Vol. 332. Iss. 2, p. 273-287. DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08727-x
  9. Therrien J.-D., Vanrolleghem P.A., Dorea C.C. Characterization of the performance of venturi-based aeration devices for use in wastewater treatment in low-resource settings. Water SA. 2019. Vol. 45. N 2, p. 251-258. DOI: 10.4314/wsa.v45i2.12
  10. Cheira M.F., Atia B.M., Kouraim M.N. Uranium(VI) recovery from acidic leach liquor by Ambersep 920U SO4 resin: Kinetic, equilibrium and thermodynamic studies. Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences. 2017. Vol. 10. Iss. 4, p. 307-319. DOI: 10.1016/j.jrras.2017.07.005
  11. Mundra S., Tits J., Wieland E., Angst U.M. Aerobic and anaerobic oxidation of ferrous ions in near-neutral solutions. Chemosphere. 2023. Vol. 335. № 138955. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138955
  12. Belli K.M., Taillefert M. Geochemical controls of the microbially mediated redox cycling of uranium and iron. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 2018. Vol. 235, p. 431-449. DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2018.05.027
  13. Tiwari N.K., Panwar D. More Accurate Prediction of Oxygen Transfer in Water through Venturi Flumes by Data Analysis, Machine Learning, and Uncertainty Investigation. Journal of Environmental Engineering. 2025. Vol. 151. Iss. 3. N 04025001. DOI: 10.1061/JOEEDU.EEENG-7834
  14. Yanjing Wang, Minglei Song, Jianrong Wei et al. Strengthening Fe(II)/Fe(III) Dynamic Cycling by Surface Sulfation to Achieve Efficient Electrochemical Uranium Extraction at Ultralow Cell Voltage. Environmental Science & Technology. 2023. Vol. 57. Iss. 35, p. 13258-13266. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05133
  15. Toktaruly B. Intensification of in-situ borehole uranium leaching using various reagents: Avtoref. dis. … d-ra filosofii (PhD). Almaty: Kazakhskii natsionalnyi issledovatelskii tekhnicheskii universitet imeni K.I.Satbaeva, 2023 (in Russian).
  16. Haiying Fu, Hui Zhang, Yang Sui et al. Transformation of uranium species in soil during redox oscillations. Chemosphere. 2018. Vol. 208, p. 846-853. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.06.059
  17. Togizov K., Kenzhetaev Z., Temirkhanova R. et al. The Influence of the Physicochemical Characteristics of Ores on the Efficiency of Underground Well Leaching of Uranium Deposits in Kazakhstan. Minerals. 2024. Vol. 14. Iss. 4. N 381. DOI: 10.3390/min14040381
  18. Aben E., Yussupova S., Akhmetkanov D. et al. Research into Uranium Characteristics and Content in a Pregnant Solution During Leaching with Oxygen Saturation. Civil Engineering Journal. 2024. Vol. 10. N 5, p. 1606-1615. DOI: 10.28991/CEJ-2024-010-05-016
  19. Rakishev B., Kenzhetaev Z., Mataev M., Togizov K. Improving the Efficiency of Downhole Uranium Production Using Oxygen as an Oxidizer. Minerals. 2022. Vol. 12. Iss. 8. N 1005. DOI: 10.3390/min12081005
  20. Drozdzak J., Leermakers M., Gao Y. et al. Uranium aqueous speciation in the vicinity of the former uranium mining sites using the diffusive gradients in thin films and ultrafiltration techniques. Analytica Chimica Acta. 2016. Vol. 913, p. 94-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2016.01.052
  21. Nuhanović M., Smječanin N., Curić N., Vinković A. Efficient removal of U(VI) from aqueous solution using the biocomposite based on sugar beet pulp and pomelo peel. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry. 2021. Vol. 328. Iss. 1, p. 347-358. DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-07651-w
  22. Guihe Li, Jia Yao. A Review of In Situ Leaching (ISL) for Uranium Mining. Mining. 2024. Vol. 4. Iss. 1, p. 120-148. DOI: 10.3390/mining4010009
  23. Oryngozha Ye.Ye., Vorobiev A.Ye., Zhangalieva M., Uteshev I.Zh. Study of mining-geological characteristics of uranium deposits of Kazakhstan for development by underground well leaching. News of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Series of geology and technology sciences. 2020. Vol. 5. N 443, p. 156-164. DOI: 10.32014/2020.2518-170X.116
  24. Xin Yuan, Jinhui Liu, Lingling Xu et al. Study on the Leaching Conditions of the Shihongtan Uranium Deposit. Metals. 2023. Vol. 13. Iss. 7. N 1284. DOI: 10.3390/met13071284
  25. Laurent G., Izart C., Lechenard B. et al. Numerical modelling of column experiments to investigate in-situ bioleaching as an alternative mining technology. Hydrometallurgy. 2019. Vol. 188, p. 272-290. DOI: 10.1016/j.hydromet.2019.07.002
  26. Peng Wang, Kaixuan Tan, Yongmei Li et al. Effect of Pyrite on the Leaching Kinetics of Pitchblende in the Process of Acid in situ Leaching of Uranium. Minerals. 2022. Vol. 12. Iss. 5. N 570. DOI: 10.3390/min12050570
  27. Nao Shen, Jun Li, Yongfan Guo, Xiaochun Li. Thermodynamic Modeling of in Situ Leaching of Sandstone-Type Uranium Minerals. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data. 2020. Vol. 65. Iss. 4, p. 2017-2031. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jced.9b01152
  28. Wenjie Qiu, Yun Yang, Jian Song et al. What chemical reaction dominates the CO2 and O2 in-situ uranium leaching? Insights from a three-dimensional multicomponent reactive transport model at the field scale. Applied Geochemistry. 2023. Vol. 148. N 105522. DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105522
  29. González-Santana D., González-Dávila M., Lohan M.C. et al. Variability in iron (II) oxidation kinetics across diverse hydrothermal sites on the northern Mid Atlantic Ridge. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 2021. Vol. 297, p. 143-157. DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2021.01.013
  30. Kurmanseiit M.B., Tungatarova M.S., Kaltayev A., Royer J.-J. Reactive Transport Modeling during Uranium In Situ Leaching (ISL): The Effects of Ore Composition on Mining Recovery. Minerals. 2022. Vol. 12. Iss. 11. N 1340. DOI: 10.3390/min12111340
  31. Aben E., Toktaruly B., Khairullayev N., Yeluzakh M. Analyzing changes in a leach solution oxygenation in the process of uranium ore borehole mining. Mining of Mineral Deposits. 2021. Vol. 15. Iss. 3, p. 39-44. DOI: 10.33271/mining15.03.039
  32. Aben E., Markenbayev Zh., Khairullaev N. et al. Study of change in the leaching solution activity after treatment with a cavitator. Mining of Mineral Deposits. 2019. Vol. 13. Iss. 4, p. 114-120. DOI: 10.33271/mining13.04.114
  33. Hubau A., Bru K., Idrissa Oumarou S., Leycuras C. Lessons learned from the upscaling of an iron bio-oxidation process to improve uranium recovery. Comptes Rendus. Chimie. 2024. Vol. 27. Special Issue 4, p. 17-35. DOI: 10.5802/crchim.313
  34. Wenji Wang, Chunguang Li, Longcheng Liu et al. Electrokinetic-enhanced sulfuric acid leaching of uranium from sandstone uranium ores. Journal of Hydrology. 2024. Vol. 642. N 131869. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131869
  35. Sabirova L.B., Oringozhin E.S., Turganaliyev S.R., Fedotenko N.A. Physical and chemical aspects of uranium extraction from zones of reservoir oxidation using ultrasonic technology. Eurasian Mining. 2023. N 1, p. 41-44. DOI: 10.17580/em.2023.01.09
  36. Santana-Casiano J.M., González-Santana D., Devresse Q. et al. Exploring the Effects of Organic Matter Characteristics on Fe(II) Oxidation Kinetics in Coastal Seawater. Environmental Science & Technology. 2022. Vol. 56. Iss. 4, p. 2718-2728. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c04512
  37. Shifeng Chen, Xuebin Wei, Jinhui Liu et al. Weak acid leaching of uranium ore from a high carbonate uranium deposit. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry. 2022. Vol. 331. Iss. 6, p. 2583-2596. DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08323-z
Access statistics
Abstract Views
46
Full-Text Views
2
Cited
Scopus:
0
Crossref:
0
Article Menu

Similar articles

Design of geotechnical complexes for open-pit mines to ensure the sustainable operation of mining enterprises
2026 Andrey V. Glebov, Viktor L. Yakovlev
Microbiota of the weathering crust from the Turgoyakskoye kaolin deposit (Miass district, Southern Urals)
2026 Aleksandr A. Georgievskii, Elena A. Zhegallo, Aleksei F. Georgievskii, Viktoriya M. Bugina, Aleksandr E. Kotelnikov
New data on the manifestation of Baikalian (Timanian) tectono-magmatic activation on West Spitsbergen Island
2026 Aleksandr N. Sirotkin, Aleksandr N. Evdokimov, Marina Yu. Burnaeva, Natalya A. Rumyantseva
Investigation of the mass explosions impact on the off-contour massif
2026 Evgenii B. Shevkun, Evgenii A. Shishkin
Experience in refining the critical depth of rock burst hazard at the ore deposit during transition to underground mining
2026 Vyacheslav Yu. Sinegubov, Mikhail G. Popov, Maria A. Vilner, Andrei I. Tkhorikov
Principles for classifying explosive seismic sources using the USBM formula
2026 Aleksandr P. Gospodarikov, Mikhail A. Zatsepin, Vladimir N. Kovalevskii, Andrei N. Kholodilov