Geological Society of America

T289 Understanding Water Resources Related to Mineralized Uranium and Other Metal Deposits

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room 131ABC, North Building

SOLUBILITY CONSIDERATIONS OF URANIUM AND ORGANIC MATTER IN MINERALIZED DEPOSITS

Paper number: T289-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM

Authors

Jose Cerrato Presenting Author
MSC01 1070, Albuquerque, NM
Carmen Velasco
MSC01 1070, Albuquerque, NM
Kateryna Artyushkova
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Abdul-Mehdi S. Ali
The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Christopher Osburn
NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Jorge Gonzalez Estrella
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Juan S. Lezama Pacheco
Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, Menlo Park, CA
Stephen Cabaniss
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Abstract

We investigated the reaction of U and organic matter as a function of pH in solids from mineralized deposits and in controlled laboratory experiments with Suwanee River natural organic matter. This study integrated aqueous chemistry experiments, X-ray spectroscopy, excitation emission matrix spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. Phenolic and carbonyl functional groups were detected at higher intensities than carboxylic groups in supernatant samples from batch extractions conducted at pH 13, 7, and 2 with solids from mineralized deposits. The presence of U(IV) and U(VI) species was detected in the supernatant after batch extractions with solids from mineralized deposits conducted under oxidizing conditions. Additional experiments with Suwanee River natural organic matter indicate that precipitation reactions can affect U and organic matter solubility at pH 2 and 4. These results are relevant to well buffered surface waters and those affected by acid mine drainage in the proximity of uranium mineralized deposits.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 51, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2019AM-334542

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