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Physical PropertiesColour Black or brownishLustre Sub metallic, greasyStreak Brownish-blackHardness 5.5Density 7.5 – 9.7Texture metallic corroded with coatFracture Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle
fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.
Phase SolidRadioactivity 70Bq/gram
Chemical Properties:Formula U2OComposition: Molecular Weight = 270.03 gm
Uranium 88.15 % U Oxygen 11.85 %
Solubility Soluble in sulphuric, nitric, and hydrofluoric acids.
Crystal Structure CubicReactivity Can react with oxygen to produce UO3
and U3O8
Uranium metal is also reactive with almost all nonmetallic elements and their compounds with reactivity increasing with temperature.
Hazards: What makes it valuable
History1896 Antoine Becquerel discovered the concept of radioactivity
Enrico Fermi in 1934 discovered that bombarding uranium produced emission of beta rays.
December 2, 1942, team led by Enrico Fermi was able to produce the first artificial nuclear chain reaction.
E=mc2
End Products
Enormous amounts of Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Weapons
Weaponry, like Bullets (high density depleted Uranium metal penetrates heavy armor)
The map shows the distribution of uranium around the planet
In what type of rock is Uraninite found in?Uraninite is found in igneous rocks formed by magma solidifying.How rare is uranium?
•40 times more abundant than silver• It’s found in most soil, rocks, and water but in very low concentrations. •Uranium ore contains 0.1 to 0.25% of actual •Distributed world wide and in 2005 17 countries produced uranium oxides. •3 million tons of uranium ore reserves are known to exist•5 billion tones of uranium is estimated to be in sea water.
Mining
Radiation detectors such as Geiger-Counter are used to detect the uranium ore
Airborne gamma ray spectrometry is a leading technique for uranium prospecting (it is also used in geological mapping, mineral exploration and environmental monitoring)
Uraninite is usually separated using acidic solutions such as sulphuric, nitric, and hydrofluoric acids.
Methods of Extraction
Open Pit
Underground uranium mining
Heap Leaching
In Situ Leaching
Polymer Fibers
Which countries are the lead producers of Uranium?
Country 2002 2003 2004 2005 Canada 11604 10457 11597 11628Australia 6854 7572 8982 9519Kazakhstan 2800 3300 3719 4357Russia 2900 3150 3200 3431Namibia 2333 2036 3038 3147Niger 3075 3143 3282 3093Uzbekistan 1860 1598 2016 2300USA 919 779 846 1039Total world 36 063 35 613 40 219 41 595
(42 529 t U3O8) (41 998 t U3O8) (47 430 t U3O8) (49 052 t U3O8)
Environmental impact of the mining
Radiation is unhealthy
In Situ leaching type of mining is environmentally unfriendly
Countries with largest known Reserves
Current Market Value
$85/lb. This has risen from $75/lb since last month.
How is the market value determined?
Notions of geopolitics as Uranium plays a big role in nuclear power and weaponry.
Not traded on an organized commodity exchange like London Metal Exchange. In most cases it is traded through contract between buyer and seller directly.
What is the market size in?
Current production covers only 55% of the requirements of power utilities
Uranium prices have been rising recently so that the demand appears to be increasing, meaning that the market size for the uranium is increasing.About 440 reactors with combined capacity of some 360 GWe, require 77,000 tonnes of uranium oxide while total uranium production world wide is only around 50,000 tones, which causes an increased demand and increase in prices.
Country tonnes U percentage of worldAustralia 1,074,000 30%Kazakhstan 622,000 17%Canada 439,000 12%South Africa 298,000 8%Namibia 213,000 6%World total 3,537,000
Country Nuclear Energy (billion KWh)USA 788.6France 426.8Japan 273.8Germany 158.4Russia 133.0Korea 124.0Canada 85.3
The leading consumers of Uranium: