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In situ leach
In-situ leaching (ISL), also called in-situ recovery (ISR) or solution mining, is a mining process used to recover minerals such as copper and uranium through boreholes drilled into a deposit, in situ. In-situ leach works by artificially dissolving minerals occurring naturally in the solid state.
The process initially involves the drilling of boreholes into the ore deposit. Explosive or hydraulic fracturing can be used to create open pathways in the deposit for the solution to penetrate. Leaching solution is pumped into the deposit where it comes in contact with the ore. The solution bearing the dissolved ore content is then pumped to the surface and processed. This process allows the extraction of metals and salts from an ore body without the need for conventional mining involving drill-and-blast, open-cut or underground mining.
In-situ leach mining involves pumping of a lixiviant into the ore body via a borehole, which circulates through the porous rock dissolving the ore and is extracted via a second borehole.
The lixiviant varies according to the ore deposit: for salt deposits the leachate can be fresh water into which salts can readily dissolve. For copper, acids are generally needed to enhance solubility of the ore minerals within the solution. For uranium ores, the lixiviant may be acid or sodium bicarbonate.
In-situ leach is widely used to extract deposits of water-soluble salts such as potash (sylvite and carnallite), rock salt (halite), sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate. It has been used in the US state of Colorado to extract nahcolite (sodium bicarbonate). In-situ leaching is often used for deposits that are too deep, or beds that are too thin, to be mined conventionally.
In-situ leach for uranium has expanded rapidly since the 1990s, and is now the predominant method for mining uranium, accounting for 45 percent of the uranium mined worldwide in 2012.
Unlike open-pit and underground mining, in-situ leaching does not rely on burial depth as a criterion but is based on the properties of the uranium deposit. In-situ leaching techniques are systematically categorized based on the primary components of the leaching solution, encompassing acid leaching, alkaline leaching, neutral leaching and bioleaching.
Acid leaching is applicable to low-carbonate uranium deposits, with U(VI) dissolving in acid solution while U(IV) dissolving in acid solution with oxidizing agent; Alkaline leaching is effective for high-carbonate uranium deposits but unsuitable for high-pyrite deposits, with U(VI) dissolving in alkaline solution while U(IV) dissolving in alkaline solution with oxidizing agent; Neutral leaching, including CO2-O2 leaching and weak acid leaching, is widely applicable; and Bioleaching is also widely applicable, especially ideal for pyrite-rich uranium deposits.
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In situ leach
In-situ leaching (ISL), also called in-situ recovery (ISR) or solution mining, is a mining process used to recover minerals such as copper and uranium through boreholes drilled into a deposit, in situ. In-situ leach works by artificially dissolving minerals occurring naturally in the solid state.
The process initially involves the drilling of boreholes into the ore deposit. Explosive or hydraulic fracturing can be used to create open pathways in the deposit for the solution to penetrate. Leaching solution is pumped into the deposit where it comes in contact with the ore. The solution bearing the dissolved ore content is then pumped to the surface and processed. This process allows the extraction of metals and salts from an ore body without the need for conventional mining involving drill-and-blast, open-cut or underground mining.
In-situ leach mining involves pumping of a lixiviant into the ore body via a borehole, which circulates through the porous rock dissolving the ore and is extracted via a second borehole.
The lixiviant varies according to the ore deposit: for salt deposits the leachate can be fresh water into which salts can readily dissolve. For copper, acids are generally needed to enhance solubility of the ore minerals within the solution. For uranium ores, the lixiviant may be acid or sodium bicarbonate.
In-situ leach is widely used to extract deposits of water-soluble salts such as potash (sylvite and carnallite), rock salt (halite), sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate. It has been used in the US state of Colorado to extract nahcolite (sodium bicarbonate). In-situ leaching is often used for deposits that are too deep, or beds that are too thin, to be mined conventionally.
In-situ leach for uranium has expanded rapidly since the 1990s, and is now the predominant method for mining uranium, accounting for 45 percent of the uranium mined worldwide in 2012.
Unlike open-pit and underground mining, in-situ leaching does not rely on burial depth as a criterion but is based on the properties of the uranium deposit. In-situ leaching techniques are systematically categorized based on the primary components of the leaching solution, encompassing acid leaching, alkaline leaching, neutral leaching and bioleaching.
Acid leaching is applicable to low-carbonate uranium deposits, with U(VI) dissolving in acid solution while U(IV) dissolving in acid solution with oxidizing agent; Alkaline leaching is effective for high-carbonate uranium deposits but unsuitable for high-pyrite deposits, with U(VI) dissolving in alkaline solution while U(IV) dissolving in alkaline solution with oxidizing agent; Neutral leaching, including CO2-O2 leaching and weak acid leaching, is widely applicable; and Bioleaching is also widely applicable, especially ideal for pyrite-rich uranium deposits.