Perspectives of Uranium and Associated Critical Materials Resources in Argentina.

LOPEZ, LUIS; CASTRO, L.N.; SCASSO, R,A; GORUSTOVICH, S; ZALAYA,,A; MOYA, M,C; EVELYN, E

Viena

Workshop; First Research Coordination Meeting (RCM) on Uranium/Thorium fuelled High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor Applications for Energy Neutral and Sustainable Comprehensive Extraction and Mineral Product Development Processes; 2015

Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (IAEA),

The purpose ofthe research is to assess the unconventional uranium (Th, REE) resourcesrelated to phosphate rocks.  Areas ofhigher interest, where low-grade phosphate mineralization and uranium anomalieshave been detected, in order to address detailed studies, which allow to establishtheir economic potential. The proposal also pursues the aim of better understandinghow High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) can be used to process andbeneficiate low-grade phosphates from Argentinean sedimentary basins. In Argentina,both conventional and unconventional sources for uranium have taken intoaccount to consider the comprehensive extraction concept. Relative to uraniumin phosphates deposits (unconventional sources), areas in the OrdovicianNorth-Western, Upper Jurassic ? Lower Cretaceous Neuquén and Paleocene -Miocene Patagonia basins where selected to sample and to carry out groundgamma-ray spectrometry surveys.  In orderto evaluate phosphate, uranium and other critical materials (Th, REE) studieson phosphates depositional environments and mechanisms of concentration togetherwith geochemistry and mineralogy characterization of phosphates were started todo. During the first year of the project, studies were focused in theOrdovician North-Western basin. Fieldwork was carried out in specific studyareas where mapping of phosphate levels and ground gamma-ray spectrometrysurveys remained done. The samples were collected for laboratory determinations(mineralogical and geochemical analysis) and for processing tests (dry Pextraction at high temperature and wet acid (H2SO4) Pextraction, U (REE, Th) separation, U (REE, Th) acid extraction fromthe solid residues. Results are still under evaluation. High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor forEnergy Neutral and Sustainable Comprehensive Extraction would be applied in low-grade phosphatesprocessing. This would aid to increase the socio-economic viability andtechnical feasibility to set up new projects that in near future could generatepositive implications in terms of food and energy security.