| Company | Energy Fuels Inc. |
| Mine | Arizona Strip (Pinenut, Canyon deposits) |
| Date | 2012-06-27 |
| Region | Arizona Strip (Northern Arizona) / White Mesa Mill, Utah |
| Commodities | Uranium, Vanadium |
Executive Summary
This NI 43-101 Technical Report pertains to the Arizona Strip Uranium Project, covering the Pinenut and Canyon deposits located on the Arizona Strip in northern Arizona. Mineralized material from these deposits is anticipated to be processed at Energy Fuels’ White Mesa mill located six miles south of Blanding in southeastern Utah. The White Mesa mill was designed to treat 2,000 short tons of ore per day and commenced construction in June 1979, completed in May 1980. The mill has operated intermittently on a campaign basis due to uranium market variability. The basic mill process employs a sulphuric acid leach with solvent extraction recovery of uranium and vanadium. Since 1980, the mill has produced approximately 28 million pounds U3O8 and 33 million pounds V2O5. Treatment of higher grade ores from the Arizona Strip required minor modifications to the leaching circuit.
Processing Overview
Crushing & Grinding
- Mill Type: Semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill
- Mill Size: 6 ft diameter × 18 ft
- Product Size: Minus 28 mesh
Leaching
- Circuit Type: Two-stage leach (pre-leach + hot acid leach)
- Pre-Leach: Two mechanically agitated tanks using pregnant strong acid solution from CCD circuit
- Hot Acid Leach: Seven mechanically agitated tanks, 24 hours retention time
- Free Acid: 70 g/L
- Temperature: 75°C
Solid-Liquid Separation
- Equipment: Countercurrent Decantation (CCD) circuit
- Thickeners: Eight high-capacity thickeners
- Underflow: 50% solids to tailings
Solvent Extraction
- Extraction Stages: Four stages
- Organic Phase: 2.5% amine, 2.5% isodeconal, 95% kerosene
- Stripping Stages: Six stages
- Stripping Solution: 1.5 M sodium chloride
precipitation & Drying
- Precipitation: Continuous ammonia precipitation
- Drying Temperature: 1,200°F
- Final Product: ~95% U3O8
- Packaging: 55-gallon drums
Historical Production (White Mesa Mill)
- Uranium: ~28 million lbs U3O8
- Vanadium: ~33 million lbs V2O5
Website: https://webapps.usgs.gov/uraniummine/studies/pinenut
Report Date: 2012-06-27
Region: Arizona Strip (Northern Arizona) / White Mesa Mill, Utah
Project Status:
Commodity: Uranium, Vanadium
Throughput:
Mine Life:
Mine Type:
Ore type:
