Concentrations of Rare Earth and Valuable Elements in Mkuju Uranium Cores for Recovery

Authors

Joshua Ndalusanye, School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Physics Department, University of Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 35063 Dar es Salaam.Follow
Mohamed Mazunga, School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Physics Department, University of Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 35063 Dar es Salaam.Follow

Abstract

Rare earth elements and valuable elements within Mkuju uranium core samples were analysed using EDXRF. Mean elemental concentrations for selected elements including Al, P, K, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Y, Mo, Ag, Ba, La, Ce, and U were determined as 96445.79 μg/g, 547.19 μg/g, 25296.88 μg/g, 5926.33 μg/g, 116.26 μg/g, 455.02 μg/g, 60.1 μg/g, 142.34 μg/g, 15.8 μg/g, 493.98 μg/g, 67.53 μg/g, 118.68 μg/g, and 128.37 μg/g respectively. The Rare Earth elements: Y, La and Ce and valuable elements: Mo, Ag and U have enrichment factor of EF >1.5 which indicates that, these elements were formed from rocks through geological processes and can be mined at a profit. The valuable elements AL, P, K, Ti, V, Mn, Fe and Ba have enrichment factor of EF ≤ 1.5 which indicates that, these elements were formed from natural weathering processes. It is concluded that, despite the low concentration of the Rare Earth and valuable elements, the possibility of recovering both valuable and Rare Earth elements in Mkuju deposit is significant.

Recommended Citation

Ndalusanye, Joshua and Mazunga, Mohamed (2024) "Concentrations of Rare Earth and Valuable Elements in Mkuju Uranium Cores for Recovery," Tanzania Journal of Science: Vol. 50: Iss. 3, Article 7.
Available at:https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v50i3.10