A review of electrochemical and electrokinetic methods for uranium recovery

The intensification of uranium extraction from low-grade, low-permeability ores, as well as the treatment of uranium-bearing effluents generated by mining and processing operations, is one of the central problems of modern hydrometallurgy. Traditional in situ leaching (ISL), while widely applied in industrial practice, is characterized by uranium recovery coefficients of 60–70% from ore bodies and the generation of significant volumes of acidic process solutions that require further treatment. The application of electric fields to leaching and water treatment processes — encompassing both electrochemical methods, in which uranium recovery is driven by electrode-surface reactions, and electrokinetic methods, in which directed ion migration and electroosmosis in porous media constitute the principal transport mechanism offers a means of substantially improving uranium recovery while reducing or eliminating the consumption of chemical reagents.