4 (Milling & Tailings)

Радионуклид

Radionuclide

An unstable atom that releases radiation 

Изотопный состав минерала

Isotopic composition of a mineral

The exact mixture of different isotopes (same element, different

mass) in a mineral.

Горно-обогатительный звод

Milling facility (mill)

A plant that crushes ore and

extracts uranium from the rock.

Дробление

Crushing

Breaking large rocks into smaller pieces 

Измельчение (размол)

Grinding (grind, ground/grounded - размельченный)

Turning crushed rock into a fine powder for better chemical extraction.

Мелкий песок

A fine sand

Very small grains(зернышки) of rock  – about the size of sand after grinding.

Пульпа (суспензия)

Slurry

A thick(густая), watery mixture of ground rock + water + chemicals – like mud.(грязь)

Извлечение урана из руды (2 варианта)

Uranium extraction/recovery from ore

Separating uranium from the

waste rock.

Сернокислотное выщелачивание

Sulfuric acid leaching

Using sulfuric acid to dissolve uranium out of the ground-up ore.

Селективная экстракция урана органическим растворителем

Selective extraction of uranium with organic solvent

Mixing the slurry with a special oil-like liquid that “picks up” only uranium and leaves impurities behind.

Водная фаза

Aqueous phase

The water-based layer in a mixture – contains dissolved chemicals and impurities.

Органическая фаза

Organic phase

The oil-based (kerosene-like) layer that contains the extracted uranium.

Трибутилфосфат

Tributylphosphate, TBP

A chemical that acts like a uranium magnet – it selectively grabs uranium from acid solutions.

Несмешивающиеся вещества

Immiscible substances

Liquids that don't mix together – like oil and water – they form separate layers.

Плотность

Density

How heavy a substance is for its size – used to separate layers

Ионообменные процессы

Ion exchange (IX) operations

A method of separating charged particles (ions) from a liquid by passing it through special resin beads that attract and hold specific ions

Осаждение / осаждать

Precipitation / to precipitate

Turning a dissolved substance into solid particles — the solid falls to the bottom.

Твёрдое вещество

A solid

Any material that keeps its shape and volume

Фильтрация и промывка

Filtering and washing

Straining out the solid uranium and rinsing it clean from leftover chemicals.

Сушка

Drying

Heating the uranium solid to remove all water – making a dry powder.

Обжиг (прокаливание) урана

Roasting / baking of U

Heating the dry powder at high temperature to change it into the final oxide form (U₃O₈ - закись-окись)

Затаривать в бочки

To be packaged in drums

Putting the final yellowcake into steel drums for transport and storage.

Хвосты (отходы)

Tailings

The leftover sand, clay, and chemicals after uranium is removed – still slightly radioactive.

Шлам (осадок)

Sludge

Thick, semi-solid muck that settles at the bottom of tailings ponds.

Сваливать (размещать) в

To be dumped in

To dispose of tailings or waste by putting them into a pond

Защита / экранировать

Shield / shielding / to shield

Using thick material (concrete, water, or earth) to block radiation from escaping.

Загрязнение / загрязнять

Contamination / to contaminate

Making something (soil, water, air) dirty with radioactive or toxic substances.

Загрязнитель

Contaminant

Any unwanted radioactive or toxic substance that spreads into clean areas.

Рассеивание / рассеивать

Dispersion in the environment / to disperse

Spreading out of contaminants into wider areas – by wind, water, or animals

Эрозия почвы

Soil erosion

Washing or blowing away of topsoil – can spread tailings particles.

Ветровая эрозия

Wind erosion

Wind picking up loose dust and sand – can carry radioactive particles into the air.

Эрозионные овраги

Erosion gullies

Small ditches cut into the ground by flowing water – can spread contamination.

Просачивание / просачиваться

Seepage / to seep

Slow leaking of liquid through soil or cracks – can contaminate groundwater

Хвостохранилище (пруд-накопитель)

Tailings pond

A large pool or lake where slurry is dumped to let solids settle and water evaporate.

Дамба хвостохранилища

Tailings dam

A wall that holds tailings and prevents them from spilling out.

Очистка воды

Water treatment

Cleaning water from tailings ponds before it is released into rivers or reused.

Дренаж площадки

Site drainage

Collecting and directing rain and runoff water around the mine site to control flow.

Накопительный пруд (отстойник)

Retention pond

A pond that catches and holds run-off water so it can settle or be treated.

Осаждаться (выпадать в осадок)

To settle out

Solid particles slowly sinking to the bottom of a pond and leaving clearer water on top.

Взвешенные твёрдые частицы / взвесь

Suspended solids / suspension

Tiny rock particles floating in water – don't sink immediately, make water cloudy

Флокулянты

Flocculants

Chemicals added to make fine particles stick together into clumps that sink faster.

Выбрасывать / сбрасывать в

To release to the environment / to discharge into

Letting treated or untreated water flow out into rivers, soil, or air.

Верхний слой почвы

Topsoil

The fertile uppermost layer of soil where plants grow – must be saved and reused.

Растительность

Vegetation

All plants (grasses, trees, shrubs) growing on the site – can help prevent erosion.

Токсичность

Toxicity

How poisonous a substance is to living things (plants, animals, humans).

Тяжёлые металлы

Heavy metals

Metals like lead, mercury that are toxic even in small amounts – often found with uranium ore.

Долговременные опасности

Long-term hazards

Risks that remain dangerous for many years or centuries – like radioactive waste.

Долгоживущий продукт распада

Long-lived decay product

A radioactive element that takes thousands/millions of years to become safe.

Период полураспада

Half-life

The time it takes for half of a radioactive material to decay into something else.

Норные животные

Burrowing animals

Animals that dig holes in the ground (like rabbits) – can bring tailings to the surface.