Uranium-Vanadium Recovery: Acid Leaching & Solvent Extraction

Source: Unnamed_Company_21 (2026)
Website: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/american-atomics-completes-mineral-resource-estimate-for-the-blue-streak-project-822378237.html

Critical Data

Overview

The Blue Streak Project, operated by American Atomics, Inc., is a uranium-vanadium development project located in Montrose County, Colorado, within the historic Bull Canyon District. The project targets Salt Wash-type sandstone-hosted mineralization, a deposit style with a well-documented milling history. Recovery methods for material from this district have been successfully demonstrated at multiple regional facilities, including Union Carbide’s Uravan mill, the Climax Uranium mill in Grand Junction, the Slickrock mill, the Atlas mill in Moab, and—most critically—the White Mesa Mill in Blanding, Utah. Owned and operated today by Energy Fuels Inc., the White Mesa Mill is the only facility from this group still in operation and represents the most relevant processing option for Blue Streak ore. The mill employs a sulfuric acid leaching circuit followed by solvent extraction (SX) to recover uranium, vanadium, and rare-earth oxides. Historical processing of similar Salt Wash material from Utah’s La Sal Trend has demonstrated robust metallurgical performance, with uranium recoveries exceeding 96% and vanadium recoveries reaching 70%. These uranium recovery methods provide a strong technical foundation for advancing the Blue Streak Project toward production, as the process flowsheet is proven, the infrastructure is established, and the permit pathway is supported by decades of regional operating experience. The combination of acid leaching and solvent extraction remains the industry standard for processing Salt Wash-type uranium-vanadium ores.

Key Process Stages

• Stage 1: Ore Preparation and Grinding – Run-of-mine material from the Bull Canyon District is crushed and ground to a target particle size that liberates uranium and vanadium minerals from the host sandstone. This stage ensures optimal surface area exposure for subsequent chemical leaching and typically involves primary jaw crushing, secondary cone crushing, and ball mill grinding in closed circuit with hydrocyclones.
• Stage 2: Sulfuric Acid Leaching – The ground ore slurry is contacted with sulfuric acid in a series of agitated leach tanks under controlled temperature and oxidation conditions. Acid leaching dissolves uranium and vanadium from the Salt Wash host rock, forming soluble sulfate complexes. This stage is the core extraction step and is designed to achieve the high recoveries (>96% U, 70% V) historically demonstrated on similar ore types.
• Stage 3: Solid-Liquid Separation – After leaching, the pregnant leach solution (PLS) is separated from the solid residue using a counter-current decantation (CCD) circuit or pressure filtration. The solids are washed to recover entrained solution and are then neutralized before disposal in a tailings storage facility. The clarified PLS advances to solvent extraction.
• Stage 4: Solvent Extraction (SX) – The PLS is contacted with an organic solvent containing an extractant that selectively removes uranium and vanadium from the acidic solution. The loaded organic phase is stripped with a fresh aqueous solution to produce a high-purity concentrated uranium-vanadium liquor. The SX circuit operates in a series of mixer-settler stages to maximize recovery and product purity.
• Stage 5: Product Recovery and Precipitation – The concentrated strip solution is treated with a precipitating agent—typically hydrogen peroxide or ammonia for uranium and a separate precipitation step for vanadium—to produce a yellowcake (U₃O₈) and vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) product. The precipitates are filtered, washed, dried, and packaged for shipment to conversion facilities or end-users.

Additional Interesting Data and Summary

Beyond the core recovery metrics, the Section 17 recovery methods analysis provides critical context for the Blue Streak Project’s processing strategy. The White Mesa Mill, currently owned and operated by Energy Fuels Inc., stands as the only operational mill in the region with a proven track record for processing Salt Wash-type uranium-vanadium ores. Nuvemco previously shipped a bulk sample from the project to White Mesa, confirming the mill’s willingness to toll-process material from the Bull Canyon District. This existing relationship de-risks the processing pathway and reduces the need for standalone milling infrastructure, a major capital advantage. The mill’s sulfuric acid leaching and solvent extraction circuit has demonstrated robust metallurgical performance on similar ore, with uranium recoveries exceeding 96% and vanadium recoveries reaching 70%. These figures are well above industry averages for comparable deposits, underscoring the favorable mineralogical characteristics of Salt Wash mineralization. From an environmental standpoint, utilizing an existing, permitted mill significantly reduces the permitting timeline and environmental footprint compared to building a greenfield processing facility. The White Mesa Mill operates under a valid radioactive materials license and has established tailings management systems, water treatment circuits, and air quality controls that meet current regulatory standards. Economically, the high recovery rates directly translate to improved project economics, lowering unit production costs and enhancing revenue per ton processed. The solvent extraction circuit also allows for selective recovery of uranium and vanadium as separate high-value products, providing revenue diversification and reducing sensitivity to single-commodity price fluctuations. Additionally, the ability to recover rare-earth oxides as a by-product stream—as demonstrated at White Mesa—opens the door to a potential third revenue stream. Looking forward, the planned refurbishment of the Ticabo Mill in Ticabo, Utah, by Anfield Corporation, and the re-licensing efforts for the Pinion Ridge Mill in Paradox Valley, Colorado, by Western Uranium and Vanadium Corp., indicate growing regional milling capacity and competition for processing services. This trend provides the Blue Streak Project with multiple processing options, ensuring toll-milling rates remain competitive and access to capacity is maintained. The significance of these recovery methods cannot be overstated: they represent the technical bridge between the Blue Streak Project’s mineral resources and a marketable product. With proven processing technology, demonstrated recoveries, and existing regional infrastructure, the path to production is both technically achievable and economically attractive.

Key Processes: N/A

Target Commodities: Uranium