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Milling & Refining
The Milling or Refining stage follows the uranium ore being extracted from the ground by mining.
In this stage, the ore is converted into yellowcake powder (U3O8) by chemical grinding, followed by a chemical process.
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How are milling and refining carried out?
There are typically three steps within the milling and refining process.
Milling
Step 1: Milling
Uranium ore is crushed to a powder.
Leaching
Step 2: Leaching
Powdered ore is dissolved in sulfuric acid and purified, precipitating out of solution as concentrated triuranium octoxide.
Calcination
Step 3: Calcination
The concentrated triuranium octoxide solution is dried and heated in a furnace to form yellowcake powder.
Where are milling and refining carried out?
What happens in the UK?
What happens in the UK?
Milling / Refining does not take place in the UK, but usually next to the mine.
Langer Heinrich Mine, Namibia
Processing Area.
Photo Credit: Peter Waggit / IAEA
Adam Piatt
Pitchblende Ore, Wikimedia Commons – Licence CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED
Yellow Cake Uranium, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Courtesy of Energy Fuels Inc. – Licence CC BY 2.0 DEED
Yellowcake, Dean Calma / IAEA – Licence CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED
Yellowcake Barrels, Dean Calma / IAEA – Licence CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED
Langer Heinrich Mine, Peter Waggit / IAEA – Licence CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED
