Goal is to provide a basis for improved flotation separation efficiency in nonsulfide minerals by establishing the collector (surfactant) adsorption reactions and developing appropriate surface chemistry control strategies. In-situ measurements of surfactant adsorption were made for selected nonsulfide mineral systems using FT-IR/IRS with reactive internal reflection elements. The IRS adsorption density equation was developed to measure the surfactant adsorption, and its validity was confirmed using transferred Langmuir-Blodgett films. Order and organization of adsorbed surfactants were established from linear dichroism spectroscopy. Hydrophobicity and stability of adsorbed surfactants at mineral surfaces can now be explained. The surface charge/collector colloid adsorption mechanism was used to explain the anomalous behavior of KCl and flotation of double salts (schoenite, kainite, borax, etc.) from saturated brines. Adsorbing surfactnat colloids at salt surfaces in brines were studied by photon correlation spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Studies are being initiated of the interparticle forces in soluble salt flotation and of interfacial water near hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces.

This final audit report for the Falls City, Texas, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project site summarizes the radiological audits and the quality assurance (QA) in-process surveillances, audits, and final close-out inspection performed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Technical Assistance Contractor (TAC). It also summarizes U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) surveillances. One radiological audit and three radiological surveillances were performed at the Falls City site. These surveillances and audit, which resulted in 31 observations, focused primarily on processing site activities and were performed on the following dates: 3-6 August 1992, 29-30 October 1992, 22-26 March 1993, and 1-3 November 1993. All outstanding radiological issues were closed out at the completion of the construction activities. Six QA in-process surveillances, which resulted in 71 observations, were performed at the Falls City site on the following dates: 22-24 July 1992, 23-25 November 1992, 17-19 May 1993, 16-18 August 1993, 13-15 October 1993, and 2-4 February 1994. All outstanding issues were closed out with the February surveillance on 3 March 1994. The DOE/TAC remedial action close-out inspections of the Falls City site, which resulted in 56 observations, were conducted 9-10 June 1994 and 26 July 1994. The inspections were closed out …

Engineering solutions to the safe and environmentally protective disposal and isolation of uranium mill tailings in the US include many factors. Cover design, materials selection, civil engineering, erosive forces, and cost effectiveness are only a few of those factors described in this paper. The systems approach to the engineering solutions employed in the US is described, with emphasis on the standards prescribed for the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project. Stabilization and isolation of the tailings from humans and the environment are the primary goals of the US uranium mill tailings control standards. The performance of cover designs with respect to water infiltration, radon exhalation, geotechnical stability, erosion protection, human and animal intrusion prevention, and longevity are addressed. The need for and frequency of surveillance efforts to ensure continued disposal system performance are also assessed.

Column flotation provides excellent recovery of ultrafine coal while producing low ash content concentrates. However, column flotation is not efficient for treating fine coal containing significant amounts of mixed-phase particles. Fortunately, enhanced gravity separation has proved to have the ability to treat the mixed-phased particles more effectively. A disadvantage of gravity separation is that ultrafine clay particles are not easily rejected. Thus, a combination of these two technologies may provide a circuit that maximizes both the ash and sulfur rejection that can be achieved by physical coal cleaning while maintaining a high energy recovery. This project is studying the potential of using different combinations of gravity separators, i.e., a Floatex hydrosizer and a Falcon Concentrator, and a proven flotation column, which will be selected based on previous studies by the principle investigator. During this reporting period, an extensive separation performance comparison between a pilot-scale Floatex Density Separator (18{times}18-inch) and an existing spiral circuit has been conducted at Kerf-McGee Coal Preparation plan for the treatment of nominally {minus}16 mesh coal. The results indicate that the Floatex is a more efficient separation device (E{sub p}=0.12) than a conventional coal spiral (E{sub p}=0.18) for Illinois seam coals. In addition, the treatment of {minus}100 …

Column flotation provides excellent recovery of ultrafine coal while producing low ash content concentrates. However, column flotation is not efficient for treating fine coal containing significant amounts of mixed-phase particles. Fortunately, enhanced gravity separation has proved to have the ability to treat the mixed-phased particles more effectively. A disadvantage of gravity separation is that ultrafine clay particles are not easily rejected. Thus, a combination of these two technologies may provide a circuit that maximizes both the ash and sulfur rejection that can be achieved by physical coal cleaning while maintaining a high energy recovery. This project is studying the potential of using different combinations of gravity separators, i.e., a Floatex hydrosizer and a Falcon Concentrator, and a proven flotation column, which will be selected based on previous studies by the principle investigator. During this reporting period, an in-plant Box-Behnken test program of the Floatex hydrosizer has been conducted at Kerr-McGee`s Galatia preparation plant. The results have shown that the Floatex hydrosizer can be successfully used to reject most of coarser ({plus}100 mesh) pyrite and mineral matter in the coal stream to the plant. With a single operation, ash rejection of 63% and total sulfur rejection of 43% have been achieved …

From 1980 to 1993, the domestic production of uranium declined from almost 44 million pounds U{sub 3}O{sub 8} to about 3 million pounds. This retrenchment of the U.S. uranium industry resulted in the permanent closing of many uranium-producing facilities. Current low uranium prices, excess world supply, and low expectations for future uranium demand indicate that it is unlikely existing plants will be reopened. Because of this situation, these facilities eventually will have to be decommissioned. The Uranium Mill Tailings and Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA) vests the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with overall responsibility for establishing environmental standards for decommissioning of uranium production facilities. UMTRCA also gave the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) the responsibility for licensing and regulating uranium production and related activities, including decommissioning. Because there are many issues associated with decommissioning-environmental, political, and financial-this report will concentrate on the answers to three questions: (1) What is required? (2) How is the process implemented? (3) What are the costs? Regulatory control is exercised principally through the NRC licensing process. Before receiving a license to construct and operate an uranium producing facility, the applicant is required to present a decommissioning plan to the NRC. Once the plan …

A four-page essay describing Jewel Posey's experiences at McMurry College. Posey was a student at McMurry (Class of 1927) and later was a faculty member.

It was the purpose of this investigation to test a new fine coal cleaning system, in which a coal is cleaned first by column flotation to remove primarily ash-forming minerals and then by an enhanced gravity separation technique to remove the pyrite remaining in the flotation product. Of the various column flotation technologies developed under the auspices of the US Department of Energy, the Microcel{sup TM} flotation column was chosen because it is being used commercially in the US coal industry, particularly by low-sulfur coal producers. Of the various enhanced gravity separation technologies used in minerals industry, Multi-Gravity Separator (MGS) was chosen because it shows promise for pyrite rejection from fine coal streams containing a wide range of particle sizes. The bench-scale tests were conducted using three different circuit configurations, i.e.; Microcel{sup TM} column alone; MGS alone; and Microcel{sup Tm} and MGS in series. In general, high ash-rejections were achieved using Microcel{sup TM} column and an MGS unit in series, both the ash and pyritic sulfur rejections exceeded what can be achieved using either the Microcel{sup TM} column or the MGS unit alone, demonstrating a synergistic effect.

The development of a nuclear industry in the US required mining, milling, and fabricating a large variety of uranium products. One of these products was purified uranium metal which was used in the Savannah River and Hanford Site reactors. Most of this feed material was produced at the US Department of Energy (DOE) facility formerly called the Feed Materials Production Center at Fernald, Ohio. During operation of this facility, soils became contaminated with uranium from a variety of sources. To avoid disposal of these soils in low-level radioactive waste burial sites, increasing emphasis has been placed on the remediating soils contaminated with uranium and other radionuclides. To address remediation and management of uranium-contaminated soils at sites owned by DOE, the DOE Office of Technology Development (OTD) evaluates and compares the versatility, efficiency, and economics of various technologies that may be combined into systems designed to characterize and remediate uranium-contaminated soils. Each technology must be able to (1) characterize the uranium in soil, (2) decontaminate or remove uranium from soil, (3) treat or dispose of resulting waste streams, (4) meet necessary state and federal regulations, and (5) meet performance assessment objectives. The role of the performance assessment objectives is to provide …

The major focus of the project, which is scheduled to occur through January 1996, will be to install and test a 500{number_sign}/hr. fine coal-cleaning circuit at DOE`s Process Research Facility (PRF), located at the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (PETC). The circuit will utilize an extremely fine, micron-sized magnetite media and small diameter cyclones to make efficient density separations on minus-28-Mesh coal. The main accomplishments of Custom Coals and the project subcontractors, during this period, included: continued purchasing small equipment and supplies for the circuit; procured a 46-ton sample of Lower Kittanning ``B`` Seam coal; completed eight primary integrated tests (PIT {number_sign}1--{number_sign}8) using the Pittsburgh No. 8 seam and the Grade-K and Grade-L magnetites; completed classifying cyclone tests using the Pittsburgh No. 8 and Lower Kittanning seams using a larger (0.5 inch) apex; completed data analysis on the four Grade-K magnetite ``closed-loop`` heavy-media cyclone tests; obtained a finer third grade of magnetite (Grade-M) with a MVD of approximately 3 microns; presented paper on the Micro- Mag project at the Coal Preparation, Utilization and Environmental Control Contractors Conference and a Poster Board Paper on the Micro- Mag Project at the Pittsburgh Coal Conference; and developed a method to modify all 5 Micro-Mag …

A system to define microbial communities in different biomes requires the application of non-traditional methodology. Classical microbiological methods have severe limitations for the analysis of environmental samples. Pure-culture isolation, biochemical testing, and/or enumeration by direct microscopic counting are not well suited for the estimation of total biomass or the assessment of community composition within environmental samples. Such methods provide little insight into the in situ phenotypic activity of the extant microbiota since these techniques are dependent on microbial growth and thus select against many environmental microorganisms which are non- culturable under a wide range of conditions. It has been repeatedly documented in the literature that viable counts or direct counts of bacteria attached to sediment grains are difficult to quantitative and may grossly underestimate the extent of the existing community. The traditional tests provide little indication of the in situ nutritional status or for evidence of toxicity within the microbial community. A more recent development (MIDI Microbial Identification System), measure free and ester-linked fatty acids from isolated microorganisms. Bacterial isolates are identified by comparing their fatty acid profiles to the MIKI database which contains over 8000 entries. The application of the MIKI system to the analysis of environmental samples however, …

The main accomplishments of Custom Coals and the project subcontractors, during this period, included: continued purchase of small equipment and supplies for the circuit; completed the circuit commissioning task; procured one lot of PennMag Grade-K and one lot Grade-L magnetite; completed work on analytical investigations; completed Classifying Circuit Component Testing on Pittsburgh No. 8 coal; completed the final Heavy-Media cyclone component testing on the Pittsburgh No. 8 seam using Grade-K and Grade-L magnetites; continued QA/QC tests on wet screening, wet splitting, Marcy Balance, and reproducibility checks on component tests and component test samples; and completed the magnetite recovery circuit component testing with and without screens using the Grade-K magnetite and the Pittsburgh No. 8 coal seam. This report contains a short discussion of the project description, objectives, budget, schedule, and teaming arrangement. It also includes a detailed discussion of the above mentioned project accomplishments and plans, organized by the various task series within the project work plan. The final section contains an outline of the specific project goals for the next quarterly reporting period.

Produced by the US Department of Energy (DOE), this site observational work plan (SOWP) will be used to determine site-specific activities to comply with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ground water standards at this Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project site. The purpose of the SOWP is to recommend a site-specific ground water compliance strategy at the Falls City UMTRA Project site. The Falls City SOWP presents a comprehensive summary of site hydrogeological data, delineates a conceptual model of the aquifer system, and discusses the origins of milling-related ground water contamination. It also defines the magnitude of ground water contamination, potential environmental and health risks associated with ground water contamination and data gaps, and targets a proposed compliance strategy.

A study conducted by Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center of sulfur emissions from about 1,300 United States coal-fired utility boilers indicated that half of the emissions were the result of burning coals having greater than 1.2 pounds of SO{sub 2} per million BTU. This was mainly attributed to the high pyritic sulfur content of the boiler fuel. A significant reduction in SO{sub 2} emissions could be accomplished by removing the pyrite from the coals by advanced physical fine coal cleaning. An engineering development project was prepared to build upon the basic research effort conducted under a solicitation for research into Fine Coal Surface Control. The engineering development project is intended to use general plant design knowledge and conceptualize a plant to utilize advanced froth flotation technology to process coal and produce a product having maximum practical pyritic sulfur reduction consistent with maximum practical BTU recovery. The overall project scope of the engineering development project is to conceptually develop a commercial flowsheet to maximize pyritic sulfur reduction at practical energy recovery values. This is being accomplished by utilizing the basic research data on the surface properties of coal, mineral matter and pyrite obtained from the Coal Surface Control for Advanced Fine Coal …

The major focus of the project, which is scheduled to occur through December 1995, will be to install and test a 500{number_sign}/hr. fine-coal cleaning circuit at DOE`s Process Research Facility (PRF), located at the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (PETC). The circuit will utilize an extremely fine, micron-sized magnetite media and small diameter cyclones to make efficient density separations on minus-28-Mesh coal. The overall objectives of the project are to: Determine the effects of operating time on the characteristics of the recirculating medium in a continuous integrated processing circuit, and subsequently, the sensitivity of cyclone separation performance to the quality of the recirculating medium; and determine the technical and economic feasibility of various unit operations and systems in optimizing the separation and recovery of the micronized magnetite from the coal products. This report contains a short discussion of the project description, objectives, budget, schedule, and teaming arrangement. The final section contains an outline of the specific project goals for the next quarterly reporting period.

This document contains the Quarterly Technical Progress Report for the Micronized Magnetite Testing Project being performed at PETC`s Process Research Facility (PRF). This second quarterly report covers the period from October, 1994 through December, 1994. The main accomplishments of Custom Coals and the project subcontractors, during this period, included: (1) Submitted all overdue project documents and kept up with routine reporting requirements; (2) Worked with CLI Corporation, the design subcontractor, and completed the circuit design and finalized all design drawings; (3) Specified and procured all of the process equipment for the circuit, as well as a number of ancillary equipment, instruments, and supplies; (4) Assisted Vangura Iron Inc. in detailing and constructing the structural and platework steel; (5) Subcontracted Rizzo & Sons to perform the circuit mechanical and electrical installation, and prepared for January 23rd installation start date; (6) Organized and prepared for coal and magnetite procurement; (7) Specified and organized an operating personnel plan for the commissioning and testing tasks in the project; (8) Assessed analytical challenges for project, and began to research problem areas. This report contains a short discussion of the project description, objectives, budget, schedule, and teaming arrangement. It also includes a detailed discussion of the …

Upper Freeport bituminous coal was able to remove Mn (VII) from dilute aqueous solution by concurrent adsorption and reduction of the manganese to lower valence, less toxic states. This type of reaction indicated the potential of using coal to remove oxidizing contaminants from effluents. Since oxidizing anions can degrade ion exchange resins and membranes, coal may be a viable alternative for detoxification. On analysis of the kinetics of copper and cadmium uptake from dilute aqueous solution, adsorption equilibria and functional groups analyses, it was apparent that the different oxidative pre-treatments affected both the surfaces and pore structure of Upper Freeport coal. The large amount of carboxyl and phenolic functional groups remaining after contact with copper and cadmium solutions, as determined by functional groups analyses, indicated the low affinity of the surface acid groups for these cations. Furthermore, there was almost no metal ion removal at low solution pH`s, which precludes the use of Upper Freeport for treating acidic wastes and effluents such as acid mine drainage. The coal surface functional groups are indeed able to exchange with cations, since the amount of these groups are measured by ion exchange with Na{sup +} and Ba{sup 2+}, however, it may be more …

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation requested U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) assistance in developing design data for moving lead-zinc-gold tailings from their current location without disrupting the existing chemically stable conditions. This report presents results of USBM work in determining (1) the minimum required time to air dry the tailings to approximately 20 pct moisture under various drying conditions both in the laboratory and in the field, (2) the degree of oxidation or reduction that occurs during drying, (3) the effect of lime or cement addition before drying, and (4) the likely equilibrium conditions of the dried tailings after deposition at the new location. The limited number of tests performed by the USBM in the available time frame established trends in oxidation levels but did not provide absolute statistical validity of data values. All data from drying and oxidation testing are included in appendices to this report.

Surface remedial action at the Gunnison Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project site began in 1992; completion is expected in 1995. Ground water and surface water will be sampled semiannually at the Gunnison processing site (GUN-01) and disposal site (GUN-08). Results of previous water sampling at the Gunnison processing site indicate that ground water in the alluvium is contaminated by the former uranium processing activities. Background ground water conditions have been established in the uppermost aquifer (Tertiary gravels) at the Gunnison disposal site. Semiannual water sampling is scheduled for the spring and fall. Water quality sampling is conducted at the processing site (1) to ensure protection of human health and the environment, (2) for ground water compliance monitoring during remedial action construction, and (3) to define the extent of contamination. At the processing site, the frequency and duration of sampling will be dependent upon the nature and extent of residual contamination and the compliance strategy chosen. The monitor well locations provide a representative distribution of sampling points to characterize ground water quality and ground water flow conditions in the vicinity of the sites. The list of analytes has been modified with time to reflect constituents that are related to uranium …

The separation of fine coal from ash and pyrite was evaluated using a microorganism Mycobacterium phlei.

Corrensite is the dominant clay mineral in the Culebra Dolomite at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The surface characteristics of corrensite, a mixed chlorite/smectite clay mineral, have been studied. Zeta potential measurements and titration experiments suggest that the corrensite surface contains a mixture of permanent charge sites on the basal plane and SiOH and AlOH sites with a net pH-dependent charge at the edge of the clay platelets. Triple-layer model parameters were determined by the double extrapolation technique for use in chemical speciation calculations of adsorption reactions using the computer program HYDRAQL. Batch adsorption studies showed that corrensite is an effective adsorbent for uranyl. The pH-dependent adsorption behavior indicates that adsorption occurs at the edge sites. Adsorption studies were also conducted in the presence of competing cations and complexing ligands. The cations did not affect uranyl adsorption in the range studied. This observation lends support to the hypothesis that uranyl adsorption occurs at the edge sites. Uranyl adsorption was significantly hindered by carbonate. It is proposed that the formation of carbonate uranyl complexes inhibits uranyl adsorption and that only the carbonate-free species adsorb to the corrensite surface. The presence of the organic complexing agents EDTA and oxine also inhibits uranyl …

The site observational work plan (SOWP) for the Shiprock, New Mexico, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project Site is one of the first documents for developing an approach for achieving ground water compliance at the site. This SOWP applies Shiprock site information to a regulatory compliance framework, which identifies strategies for meeting ground water compliance at the site. The compliance framework was developed in the UMTRA ground water programmatic environmental impact statement.

Planned, routine ground water sampling activities at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project site near Falls City, Texas, are described in this water sampling and analysis plan (WSAP). The following plan identifies and justifies the sampling locations, analytical parameters, and sampling frequency for the routine monitoring stations at the site. The ground water data are used for site characterization and risk assessment. The regulatory basis for routine ground water monitoring at UMTRA Project sites is derived from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations in 40 CFR Part 192. Sampling procedures are guided by the UMTRA Project standard operating procedures (SOP) (JEG, n.d.), the Technical Approach Document (TAD) (DOE, 1989), and the most effective technical approach for the site. The Falls City site is in Karnes County, Texas, approximately 8 miles [13 kilometers southwest of the town of Falls City and 46 mi (74 km) southeast of San Antonio, Texas. Before surface remedial action, the tailings site consisted of two parcels. Parcel A consisted of the mill site, one mill building, five tailings piles, and one tailings pond south of Farm-to-Market (FM) Road 1344 and west of FM 791. A sixth tailings pile …

The Integrated Data Base Program has compiled historic data on inventories and characteristics of both commercial and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel and commercial and U.S. government-owned radioactive wastes. Except for transuranic wastes, inventories of these materials are reported as of December 31, 1994. Transuranic waste inventories are reported as of December 31, 1993. All spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste data reported are based on the most reliable information available from government sources, the open literature, technical reports, and direct contacts. The information forecasted is consistent with the latest DOE/Energy Information Administration (EIA) projections of U.S. commercial nuclear power growth and the expected DOE-related and private industrial and institutional activities. The radioactive materials considered, on a chapter-by-chapter basis, are spent nuclear fuel, high-level waste, transuranic waste, low-level waste, commercial uranium mill tailings, DOE Environmental Restoration Program contaminated environmental media, commercial reactor and fuel-cycle facility decommissioning wastes, and mixed (hazardous and radioactive) low-level waste. For most of these categories, current and projected inventories are given through the calendar-year 2030, and the radioactivity and thermal power are calculated based on reported or estimated isotopic compositions.