|
Home > Radioactive Waste > Uranium Mill Tailings
Uranium Mill Tailings
Uranium mill tailings are primarily the sandy process waste material
from a conventional mill. This ore residue contains the radioactive decay
products from the uranium chains (mainly the U-238 chain) and heavy metals.
By definition in 10
CFR Part 40, the tailings or wastes produced by the extraction or
concentration of uranium or thorium from any ore processed primarily for
its source material content, is byproduct material. This includes discrete
surface waste resulting from uranium solution extraction processes, such
as in situ leach, heap leach, and ion-exchange. Byproduct material does
not include underground ore bodies depleted by solution extraction. The
wastes from these solution extraction facilities are transported to a
mill tailings impoundment for disposal.
Most of the NRC regulations for this type of byproduct material are in
Appendix
A to 10 CFR Part 40 - Criteria Relating to the Operation of Uranium
Mills and the Disposition of Tailings or Wastes Produced by the Extraction
or Concentration of Source Material from Ores Processed Primarily for
Their Source Material Content. The criteria in Appendix A cover the siting
and design of tailings impoundments, disposal of tailings or wastes, decommissioning
of land and structures, groundwater protection standards, testing of the
radon emission rate from the impoundment cover, monitoring programs, airborne
effluent and offsite exposure limits, inspection of retention systems,
financial surety requirements for decommissioning and long-term surveillance
and control of the tailings impoundment, and eventual government ownership
of the tailings site under a NRC general license.
Regulation of mill tailings is covered under the Nuclear Materials program
(See Uranium Milling
under Fuel Cycle Facilities
and the Fact Sheet
- Uranium Mill Tailings).
|