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Context: Australia took steps to ban mining at an Indigenous site surrounded by Kakadu National Park, which is home to one of the world’s largest deposits of high-grade uranium.
Details
The News
- Australia took steps to ban mining at Jabiluka site, one of the world’s largest deposits of high-grade uranium.
- The Jabiluka site became the focus of intense legal wrangling between the Mirarr people and mining companies after the uranium deposit was discovered there in the early 1970s.
- In the late 1990s, the site was blockaded by the Mirarr people alongside the celebrated rock band Midnight Oil.
- The Rio Tinto-controlled company Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) previously held mining leases at Jabiluka, which will now not be extended when they expire on August 11.
Global Uranium Production
- About two-thirds of the world's production of uranium from mines is from Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia.
- An increasing amount of uranium, now over 55%, is produced by in situ leaching.
- In 2022, Kazakhstan produced the largest share of uranium from mines (43% of world supply), followed by Canada (15%) and Namibia (11%).
largest-producing uranium mines
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Cigar Lake
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Canada
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Husab
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Namibia
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Inkai, sites 1-3
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Kazakhstan
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Olympic Dam
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Australia
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Karatau
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Kazakhstan
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Rössing
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Namibia
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SOMAIR
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Niger
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Four Mile
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Australia
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Central Mynkuduk
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Kazakhstan
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South Inkai 4
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Kazakhstan
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Uranium resources by country
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Country
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% of world
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Australia
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28%
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Kazakhstan
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13%
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Canada
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10%
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Russia
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8%
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Namibia
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8%
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South Africa
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5%
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Niger
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5%
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Brazil
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5%
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China
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4%
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Mining methods
55% of world production came from underground mines, also called in situ recovery.
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Method
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%
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In situ leach (ISL)
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56%
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Underground & open pit
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38%
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By-product
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6%
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In situ leach (ISL)
Uranium deposits in India
- Uranium deposits occur in Singhbhum and Hazaribagh districts of Jharkhand, Gaya district of Bihar, and in the sedimentary rocks in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
- Parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana between Seshachalam forest and Sresailam (Southern edge of Andhra to Southern edge of Telangana).
- Largest source of uranium comprises the monazite sands, both beach and alluvial. The largest concentration of monazite sand is on the Kerala coast.
- Some uranium is found in the copper mines of Udaipur in Rajasthan.
- India produces about 2% of world's uranium reserves.
Current Uranium Mining Sites of India
Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) is a public sector undertaking (PSU), under the Department of Atomic Energy for uranium mining and processing.
Important Mines
- Tummalapalle: The ore body of Kanampalli and Tummalapalli mining block in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh,. It is India's largest uranium mine..
- Jaduguda: It is the first uranium mine of India which started its operations in 1967. This mine is located in the state of Jharkhand. Jadugoda process plant is located close to the mine which is used for the processing of the uranium ore.
- The ore from Bhatin and Narwapahar mines is also processed here.
- Bhatin: This mine is located 3 km away from Jaduguda.
- Narwapahar: This mine was commissioned in April 1995. It is known to be the most modern mine of the country located in
- Turamdih: Turamdih mine is located 24 km to the west of Jaduguda. It was commissioned in 2003.
- Bagjata: Bagjata Mines is an underground mine in east singhbhum district of
- Mohuldih Mine: Mohuldih uranium deposit Mine in Gamharia block of Seraikella-Kharsawan district in state of Jharkhand has been developed as a modern underground mine.
Uranium and its applications
- Uranium (U) is a radioactive chemical element , atomic number 92.
- It is silvery white in colour.
- Property: It is ductile, malleable, and capable of taking a high polish.
- Occurrence: Uranium occurs naturally in low concentrations in soil, rock and water.
- It occurs naturally in several minerals such as uraninite (pitchblende), brannerite and carnotite.
- It is also found in phosphate rock and monazite sands.
Isotopes of Uranium
Applications
- Mainly used in nuclear power plants.
- Naturally occurring uranium consists of 99% uranium-238 and 1% uranium-235. Uranium-235 is the only naturally occurring fissionable fuel (a fuel that can sustain a chain reaction).
- Uranium fuel used in nuclear reactors is enriched with uranium-235.
- Uranium-235 is the only isotope that undergoes fission.
Uranium enrichment
- Uranium enrichment is the process, through which the isotopic proportion of U-235 is increased from 0.72 per cent to up to 94 per cent.
low-enriched
- Uranium is considered low-enriched if its isotopic proportion of U-235 remains below 20 per cent.
- Most commercial reactors use low-enriched uranium (LEU) below five per cent as fuel, which is also often referred to as “reactor-grade uranium”.
Highly enriched
- If uranium is enriched beyond 20 per cent, it is considered highly enriched.
- Uranium with such high isotopic proportions of U-235 is mostly used in naval propulsion reactors (for example in submarines), nuclear weapons and some research reactors.
Depleted uranium
- Depleted uranium is also used as a shield against radiation in medical processes using radiation therapy and also while transporting radioactive materials.
Uranium Dating
- Uranium radioactively decays, usually by emitting an alpha particle.
- The half-life of this decay varies between 159,200 and 4.5 billion years for different isotopes, making them useful for dating the age of the Earth.
Threat from Uranium.
Uranium Contamination in India
- Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had revised the acceptable level of uranium concentration in drinking water from 60 µg/l to 30 µg/l.
- Nearly 29%, or about 3 in every 10 wells tested in Punjab, is contaminated with uranium.
- Haryana is the second state in terms of uranium prevalence in groundwater.
Causes of contamination
- Geogenic processes are responsible for uranium contamination, but the overexploitation of groundwater can also be a reason for it.
- High levels of uranium are largely due to natural uranium content in aquifer rocks, oxidation state.
- Groundwater-table decline, nitrate pollution and over-exploitation of groundwater from irrigation exacerbate uranium mobilization.
Harmful Impact
- Harmful impact of high Uranium concentration: Nephrotoxic (kidney damage), Cancer.
Other form of exposure
Sources:
Indian Express: Reference link
World Nuclear Association: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/uranium-resources/geology-of-uranium-deposits
UCIL.Gov.In:https://ucil.gov.in/pdf/myth/Emerging%20trend%20in%20U%20mining.pdf
DowntoEarth:https://www.downtoearth.org.in/water/groundwater-in-12-indian-states-found-to-be-contaminated-with-uranium-87096
International Atomic Energy Agency:https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-is-uranium
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PRACTICE QUESTION
Q. In light of India’s energy problems elaborate the significance of nuclear energy and the key challenges associated with it. 150 words
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