Recovery of Uranium and Associated Metal Values from Alloga Carbonaceous Shale Ore Material, Southwestern Sinai, Egypt

Abstract

Sinai Peninsula is considered as one of the most important mineralized localities in Egypt. It contains various mineral deposits e.g. Mn, Fe, Cu, S and C beside kaolin, glass sands, beach sands and limestone, which are widely distributed along the Gulf of Suez especially at East Abu Zeneima area. Alloga carbonaceous shale of Um Bogma Formation at southwestern Sinai is considered as one of the most promising U occurrences beside the associated economic metal values e.g. REEs, Cu, Zn, Ni,…. etc. The main target of the present study is to characterize the ore sample collected form Alloga Area either mineralogically and chemically. Also studying the suitable processing of this ore material to recover the metals of interest e.g. U, Cu and REEs. For this purpose, a technological representative sample from Alloga carbonaceous shale ore material was collected. Mineralogical study revealed the presences of two main types of Cu- mineralization. The first was of the alteration (oxidation) zone such as malachite Cu2CO3(OH)2 and atacamite Cu2Cl(OH)3. While the second was of the copper sulphide ones (reduction zone) such as chalcopyrite CuFeS2. Moreover, the mineralogical study revealed the presence of the clay mineral, dolomite CaMg(CO3)2 and gypsum, CaSO4 together with the gangues of goethite, hematite(Fe2O3) and quartz(SiO2). It is worthy