Abstract: The factors influencing uranium recovery in water-rock systems during acid in-situ leaching (ISL) were studied at the Kujieertai uranium deposit in Xinjiang. Using an ISL unit, a field leach trial (FLT) had been carried out to test the sequential effects of a leaching solution without oxidant (H2SO4 solution 4–8 g/L) and a leaching solution with oxidant (H2SO4 3–7 g/L, and Fe (III) 2–6 g/L). The observation of the leaching process revealed clearly defined stages of uranium release from the solid mineral to solution. Uranium mobilization from solid mineral into solution can be described in four stages. At the beginning of the acid ISL process, there was no oxidant to be added to the leaching solution and the desorption of hexavalent uranyl ions in the open pores, as well as dissolution of hexavalent uranium minerals, led to a short-term peak in the pregnant solution, which happened while pH decreased from about 5.3 to 2.62. Following the depletion of the adsorbed hexavalent uranium and a decline in uranium dissolution intensity, the addition of Fe(III) facilitated the oxidation of tetravalent uranium, which enabled intensive uranium mobilization again. During this process, the dissolution of uranium had a strong positive correlation with the reduction of Fe(III) and Eh in the leach solution. Beside hydrochemical factors, the deportment of uranium was also an important factor affecting uranium recovery. Uranium located in the open pores can be completely exposed to the solution and the mobilization intensity was significantly affected by hydrogeochemical conditions; but the uranium present in microfissures and in the ore matrix could not be fully exposed to the solution, so, their dissolution intensity was primarily controlled by corrosion and permeability of the ore. In general, the hydrogeochemical conditions and the deportment of uranium were the external and internal factors that significantly affected the dissolution and recovery of uranium in the early and middle stages of the FLT. However, in the latest stages, due to uranium depletion, enhancing the chemical potential of the leaching solution, specifically acidity and/or the amount of oxidant, had little improvement on uranium recovery.

Abstract: The concentration of the bioavailable uranium fraction (Ubio) at the European scale was deduced by geochemical modelling considering several definitions found in the literature and the FOREGS European stream waters geochemical atlas dataset to produce a Ubio baseline. A sensitivity analysis was performed using three thermodynamic databases. We also investigated the link between total dissolved uranium (Uaq) concentrations, speciation and global stream water chemistry on the one hand, and the lithology and ages of the surrounding rocks on the other. The more U-enriched the stream sediments or rock type contexts are, which tends to be the case with rocks containing silicates (4.1 mg/kg), the less U-concentrated the stream waters are (0.15 μg/L). Sedimentary rocks lead to slightly higher Uaq concentrations (0.34 μg/L) even if the concentration in sediment (Used) is relatively low (1.6 mg/kg). This trend is reversed for Ubio, with higher concentrations in a crystalline context. The mean estimated Ubio value ranges from 1.5.10−3 to 65.3 ng/L and can fluctuate by 3 orders of magnitude depending on the considered definition as opposed to by 2 orders of magnitude accountable to differences between thermodynamic databases. The classification of the water in relation to the two surrounding rock lithologies makes it possible to reduce the mean variability for the Ubio concentrations. Irrespective of the definition of Ubio considered, in 59% of cases the Ubio fraction represents less than 1% of Uaq. Several threshold values relating to Ubio were proposed, assuming knowledge only of the aqueous concentrations of the major elements and Uaq.

Abstract: Qanat is a type of drain that extract water from aquifers by gravity. Significant amount of fresh water used in Middle East and other parts of the world are supplied by qanats. Despite their importance, discharge variation of these type of wells received almost no attention. The aim of this research is to obtain a Laplace domain solution of discharge variation of a qanat installed in an anisotropic unconfined aquifer subjected to arbitrary areal recharge and nearby pumping well(s) discharge. A new semi-analytical solution of drawdown is obtained first to implement the effects of arbitrary areal recharge and nearby pumping well(s) using the principle of superposition. Then, the discharge variation solution of the qanat is obtained from the drawdown solution. To establish a constant-head boundary condition at the qanat periphery, the qanat is discretized into several segments. The results of this study are presented in dimensionless discharge-dimensionless time curves. The effects of hydraulic as well as geometric parameters on the discharge variation of the qanat due to arbitrary areal recharge, falling of water table from its initial position and discharge of nearby wells are explored. We also investigate the influences of distance and screen depth and location of the nearby well on the discharge variation of the qanat. The results of this study can be utilized for multiple purposes: 1) to predict discharge of qanat in response to rainfall and nearby pumping well(s); 2) to estimate the aquifer parameters using hydrograph of the qanat; 3) to determine optimal location and pumping pattern of the nearby wells to minimize their influences on the discharge of the qanat; 4) to calculate water budget of aquifers drained by a qanat. The equation presented in this work can also be used to estimate discharge of a horizontal drain installed in cropland subjected to arbitrary irrigation pattern.