Amine Extraction Of Port Radium Leach Liquor ? 1. Introduction

The Port Radium mine of Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited, located on Great Bear Lake only a few miles from the Arctic Circle in north-western Canada, is the oldest uranium producer in Canada, The first concentrates were produced in 1933 and except for a period between 1940 and 1942 the mill has operated continuously. Although it is located in a remote area, and compared to more recent mines in other areas is a small tonnage operation, nonetheless the relatively high grade of the Port Radium ore has permitted operation to date on an economical basis. The mill process at Port Radium includes the original gravity concentration mill, and since 1952 an acid leaching plant which treats tailings from the gravity mill and tailings recovered by dredging of residues from underwater dumps in Great Bear Lake. The pregnant solution from the leach plant has to date been processed through aluminum reduction to yield an intermediate grade uranous phosphate-arsenate precipitate, Because of the rising costs of the aluminum reduction process, and its sensitivity to ore composition, Eldorado became interested in possible application to Port Radium of the solvent extraction processes of which we were obtaining increasing information in the latter part of 1954 and during 1955.