Thermal decomposition of Australian uranium ore concentrates: characterisation of speciation and morphological changes following thermogravimetric analysis

Tim Ditcham, Andrew Wotherspoon, Kenneth Kirkbride, Claire Lenehan, Rachel Popelka-Filcoff

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    11 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this manuscript, we report the analysis of eight uranium ore concentrates (UOCs) from three operating Australian uranium mines using thermogravimetric analysis to investigate whether the thermal decomposition of these UOCs can be used to differentiate between sources. Micro-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were also used to identify the different phases present within the original UOC material, as well as chart their decomposition with the increasing temperature. UOCs of different species were able to be differentiated from one another, while the moisture content, a variable component within the UOCs, did distinguish between U3O8 samples sourced from Ranger and Olympic Dam. The effect of elevated temperatures on the diverse UOC morphologies of the three UOCs was also examined.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)725-732
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
    Volume310
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2016

    Keywords

    • Australian uranium ore concentrates
    • Materials provenancing
    • Nuclear forensic science
    • Thermogravimetric analysis

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