Acidic heap leaching behavior of uranium from El-Sela area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

The column percolation technique was used to examine the leachability of uranium from El-Sela uranium mineralization. The agglomeration effect, particle size, flow rates, acid concentration, solid to liquid ratio, and sand agglomeration effect were all studied in the kinetics of uranium leaching. The acidic leach solution causes alteration and thus dissolves the oxides that fill joints and fractures, resulting in a reduction in ore particle size, as well as the swelling of fine particles caused by acid leaching over time. As a result, the focus of this research is on the possibility of increasing the permeability of ore heaps by adding cobblestone. At a height of 3.0 m within the column, the optimal ratio of cobblestone to ore was found to be 1:4, and the irrigation rate was reduced from 0.15 to 0.1L/ m 2 /min, increasing the uranium dissolution efficiency from 47.5 to 79 percent. Finally, the column leaching efficiency is confirmed by fitting data from an application first-order kinetic law with data collected.