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Assessment of environmental radioactivity at uranium mining, processing

and tailings management facility at Jaduguda, India

Article  in  Applied Radiation and Isotopes · November 2008

DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2007.12.019 · Source: PubMed

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 ARTICLE IN PRESS

Applied Radiation and Isotopes 66 (2008) 1666– 1670

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Applied Radiation and Isotopes

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apradiso

Assessment of environmental radioactivity at uranium mining,

processing and tailings management facility at Jaduguda, India
R.M. Tripathi , S.K. Sahoo, V.N. Jha, A.H. Khan, V.D. Puranik
Environmental Assessment Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400085, India

article info a b s t r a c t
Keywords:
The uranium mines at Jaduguda and nearby areas of the Singhbhum thrust belt of Jharkhand State are
Uranium mining
the only operating mines in India, which supply fuel to nuclear power plants. The gamma radiation dose
Environmental radioactivity
External gamma radiation rates observed at different locations 1 m above the tailings surface vary from 0.8 to 3.3 mGy h1. The
Radon geometric mean activity concentration of 222Rn in air over the tailings ponds I and II were found to be 30
Radium and 23 Bq m3, respectively, but reduces to the local background level at the boundaries of the tailings
Ground and surface water ponds. The uranium and 226Ra levels in the ground water sources in the vicinity of the tailings pond are
very similar to the regional average of 3.6 mg L–1 and 23 mBq L1, respectively, indicating that there is no
ground water migration of radioactive material from the tailings pond. This paper gives a brief account
of the environmental radioactivity monitoring during uranium mining, ore processing and waste
management operations.
& 2008 IAEA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction are reduced by the extraction process). Around 1.5  105 m3 of

Uranium is the basic energy mineral used in the present
nuclear power plants. In India the first uranium mining and ore
processing operations commenced in the mid-1960s at Jaduguda
in the eastern part of the country. Subsequently three other
deposits at Bhatin, Narwapahar and Turamdih, all within a
distance of about 22 km of Jaduguda have been taken up for
underground mining. The low-grade uranium ore (o0.1% U3O8)
from all of these mines is presently processed at the Jaduguda
mill. The capacity of the ore processing plant is about 2090 tonnes
per day. The details of the uranium extraction process are given in
Fig. 1.
Some potential sources of radiation and radioactive material
associated with uranium processing can degrade the surrounding
environment and affect the nearby population if adequate safety
measures are not taken. The potential sources such as mine water,
mine exhaust, mill tailings and effluents, etc. contain dissolved
radionuclides and radon and its progeny. The water in the mine is
due to ground water seepage into mine galleries and that water
used in the mine for drilling, dust suppression and backfilling
operations. As low-grade ore is processed, 99% of the ore
processed in mill emerges as waste or ‘tailings’. The waste
comprises the barren cake and liquor containing all the radio-
nuclides of the uranium series (although uranium concentrations
 Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 22 2559 5373; fax: +91 22 25505151/5313.
E-mail address: rmt@barc.gov.in (R.M. Tripathi).
solid waste is discharged to the tailings pond per annum. The
disposal of the tailings within a permanent containment system
is, therefore, an important aspect of the uranium ore processing
(Bhasin, 2001).
The tailings are treated with limestone slurry to raise the pH to
9.5–10. At this alkali pH, the residual uranium, radium, other
radioactive materials and chemical pollutants including manga-
nese (Mn) are precipitated. The treated slurry is classified into
coarse and fine fractions using hydro-cyclones. The coarse
material, forming nearly 50% of the tailings, is returned to the
mines for back-filling. The fine tailings or ‘slimes’ are pumped to
an engineered tailings pond for permanent containment. The
slimes along with the precipitates settle down and the clear liquid
is decanted. A series of decantation wells are provided to release
the clear liquid to the effluent treatment plant (ETP) through an
engineered concrete pipeline (Gupta and Siddique, 2003).
There are three valley-dam-type tailings ponds at Jaduguda.
The first and second tailings ponds (I and II) of about 33 and 14 ha
surface area, respectively, are located adjacent to each other in a
valley with hills on three sides and engineered embankments on
the downstream side of natural drainage. These two tailings
containment ponds are nearly filled up and ready for closure. The
third tailings pond (III), which is currently in use, has a surface
area of about 30 ha. The underlying soil and the bedrock of these
tailings ponds have very low permeability. The tailings ponds are
fenced to avoid unrestricted access.
The effluents coming from the tailings pond to the ETP are,
therefore, first clarified. A large portion of this effluent is reused in

0969-8043/$ - see front matter & 2008 IAEA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2007.12.019
 ARTICLE IN PRESS

R.M. Tripathi et al. / Applied Radiation and Isotopes 66 (2008) 1666–1670 1667

the milling process. The rest is treated first with BaCl2 and then
with lime slurry to precipitate radioactive and chemical pollu-
tants, especially 226Ra and Mn. It is then clarified and the settled
sludge carrying the Ba(Ra)SO4 and Mn(OH)2 precipitates is
pumped to the tailings pond with the main tailings. The clear
effluent is discharged to the environment after measurements for
radionuclides, Mn, sulfate, chloride and hardness and conforming
to the regulatory limits (Gupta and Siddique, 2005). This paper
gives a brief account of the environmental radioactivity monitor-
ing during uranium mining, ore processing and waste manage-
ment operations.
2. Experimental
The surrounding environment up to 25 km from the uranium
mining and milling complex is regularly monitored for external
gamma radiation, atmospheric radon, radionuclides and chemical
toxins in recipient surface water and in well water around tailings
ponds and soil. Also, as a part of special monitoring programmes
samples of biota, sediment, vegetation, silt and food matrices are
collected for analysis.
2.1. Sample collection and processing
Grab water samples (5 L) are collected from the nearby rivers.
Ground water samples are collected from wells and boreholes
near the tailings pond and areas away from the tailings pond. In
the case of soil samples, about 1 kg are collected for analysis. The
details of sample collection and processing are given elsewhere
(Tripathi et al., 2002). Fig. 2 shows the sampling sites around the
mining complex.
All chemicals used were Merck, Suprapur, Analar or electronic
grade. Reagents used for wet ashing are concentrated nitric acid
(Electronic grade) and perchloric acid (Suprapur grade). Quartz,
teflon and high-purity polyethylene containers are used for
collection, decomposition and storage of samples prior to analysis.
In the present study, all laboratory wares used in sample
collection, analysis and storage are soaked in 10% HNO3 for
several days and then rinsed thoroughly with distilled and
double-distilled water, respectively before use. Reagent blanks
are taken along with each batch of sample and the concentration
observed in these blank samples was subtracted from the
corresponding batch of field samples.
2.2. Methodology

Ore Mining External gamma radiation dose rates around the uranium-
mining complex are monitored using micro-R survey meters
(Nucleonix UR705). Atmospheric radon (222Rn) is monitored using
Tailings
Crushing and Grinding Treatment Hydro cyclone a low-level radon detection system, which is an electro-deposition
Plant (TTP) passive radon monitoring system (GK Srivastava et al., 1984). In
Barren this technique the freshly formed positively charged decay
Leaching and Filtration Cake Coarse Fines products of radon get collected on an aluminum plate, maintained
at high negative potential. The plate is counted for alpha activity
Barren
Ion Exchange Liquor
for a period of 75 min and radon activity is calculated. 226Ra is
Mine back TP estimated by an emanometric technique in which the 222Rn
filling daughters are allowed to build up for a known period. The
Precipitation and Drying
ETP accumulated radon is collected in a scintillation cell and counted
after equilibrium (between radon and its short-lived progeny) is
Yellow cake (MDU) attained (Raghavayya et al., 1990; BIS, 1994). Uranium (natural) is
Local
Discharge measured by UV-fluorimetry. In this technique, chemically
separated uranium is fused with a fusion mixture (NaF–Na2CO3)
Fig. 1. Uranium extraction process at Jaduguda. and subjected to UV radiation in a fluorimeter. The intensity of the

Fig. 2. Map showing the uranium mining sites and sampling points.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
1668 R.M. Tripathi et al. / Applied Radiation and Isotopes 66 (2008) 1666–1670
Table 1
Mean concentrations (ranges) of U and Ra obtained for IAEA matrix reference materials
Reference material Radionuclide
IAEA RGU-1 U mg kg1
IAEA-326 Soil Ra-226
IAEA-315 Marine Sediment Ra-226
fluorescence is proportional to the amount of uranium present in
the sample. The 3650 Å excitation and 5546 Å fluorescence
wavelength are unique to uranium (Kushwaha et al., 2007).
The quality of the analyses is checked by analyzing IAEA matrix
reference materials. The precision of the analyses is within 78% of
the certified values, which is given in Table 1. The validity of the
method was further ascertained by cross-method checks, spike
recovery and replicate analysis.
3. Results and discussion
A Health Physics Unit with Environmental Survey Laboratory,
an independent agency of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
established at the site, maintains a comprehensive surveillance
of the environment around the mines, mill and the tailings pond
to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures, to assess the
environmental impacts and to ensure regulatory compliance. The
data presented in this paper are a summary of data obtained over
the last 10 years (1997–2006).
3.1. Radiation levels
Uranium tailings are low-specific activity material, and hence
are a source of low levels of gamma radiation and environmental
radon. The 226Ra content of the tailings is in the range of about
4–8 Bq g1. The gamma radiation dose rates 1 m directly above the
tailings pile range from about 0.8–3.3 mGy h1, averaging around
1.4 mGy h1. This reduces to about 0.5 mGy h1 on the embankment
and attains the local background levels of 0.10–0.15 mGy h1
within a short distance of the embankment. The annual radiation
dose rates measured by thermoluminescent dosimeters in the
public domain around the uranium complex are comparable to
natural background levels in the region and vary from 785 to
1862 mGy yr1, averaging around 1150 mGy yr1. The variations
observed are due to differences in the geophysical characteristics
of the local rocks and soils. The higher values are observed near
the tailings pond, which is expected. The Jaduguda area is a
mineralized zone, therefore a marginally higher terrestrial gamma
radiation level is to be expected. In summary, the measured
external radiation levels are not significantly different from the
levels observed elsewhere.
3.2. Radon
Atmospheric radon levels are periodically measured at the
tailings pond and other locations in the region using a low-level
radon detection system. The geometric means of radon concen-
trations at the tailings ponds I and II are 30.0 and 23.0 Bq m3,
respectively. The radon levels reduce to the local background of
10–15 Bq m3 close to the tailings pond boundary. The higher
values of radon concentration observed over the tailings pond is
due to the high concentration of radium, the parent of radon, in
the tailings. Atmospheric dilution reduces the radon levels to
regional levels within a short distance.
Unit Concentration
Observed value (n ¼ 7) Certified value
399 (392–405) 400 (398–402)
Bq kg1 32.8 (30.5–33.8) 32.6 (31–34.2)
Bq kg1 13.7 (11.4–14.6) 13.8 (13–14.6)
3.3. Surface water
The liquid effluents released after treatment and monitoring
have a small potential to contribute to the radioactivity levels of
the recipient surface water system in the immediate vicinity. The
effectiveness of the effluent treatment plant in controlling the
release of radioactive materials to the aquatic environment is
evaluated by measurement of U(nat.) and 226Ra in the inlet and
outlet effluents. The U(nat.) and 226Ra concentrations observed in
the surface waters were found to vary from 0.3–54.9 mg L1 and
5–283 mBq L1, respectively.
The Gara, a relatively small river and tributary of the
Subarnarekha River, receives the treated effluents from the
uranium mining and milling industry. The mean pH, U(nat.) and
226
Ra concentrations observed in the surface waters for the last 10
years are summarized in Fig. 3. The uranium and radium
concentrations in water from the Gara and Subarnarekha Rivers
downstream of uranium mining operations are nearly of the same
order as the respective background levels observed upstream. The
slightly elevated levels of uranium and radium in the immediate
recipient Gara River are well within the respective derived water
concentration (DWC) limits (Raghavayya, 1999). The levels in
Subarnarekha River are even lower and approach the regional
background values.
3.4. Ground water
Any underground migration of radionuclides from the tailings
ponds may show up in the local ground water. Ground water
samples are periodically collected from wells/boreholes near the
tailings ponds and other areas in the region and analyzed. It is
observed that the uranium and 226Ra levels in the ground water
sources in the vicinity of the tailings ponds are very similar to the
regional average of 3.6 mg L–1and 23 mBq L1, respectively, and
well within the limits for drinking water. It is interesting to note
that average values of uranium and 226Ra ground water at
locations 20–25 km away are 2.1 mg L1 and 30 mBq L1. Thus,
there seems to be no movement of radionuclides from the tailings
ponds to the ground water in the vicinity. The results obtained
during the last 10 years are summarized with respect to distance
from the tailings containment system and presented in Fig. 4.
3.5. Soil
Soil samples are also collected from different locations around
the tailings ponds and analyzed for natural radioactivity. The
range of U(nat.) and 226Ra in these samples was found to vary
from 0.6 to 6.6 mg g1 and 12 to 151 Bq kg1, respectively. The
mean concentrations of radionuclides in soil around the tailings
pond at Jaduguda are given in Table 2. The results indicate that
natural radioactivity levels in soil from near the tailings ponds are
also of the same order as found elsewhere in the region.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS

R.M. Tripathi et al. / Applied Radiation and Isotopes 66 (2008) 1666–1670 1669

60

50
DWC : pH - 5.5 - 8.5
pH U (Nat.) - 60 µg/l
U (Nat.) µg/l Ra-226 - 300 mBq/l
40
Ra-226 mBq/l
Mean Levels

30

20

10

0
Gara river U/S Gara river D/S Suvarnarekha river Suvarnarekha river Suvernarekha river
U/S D/S-1 D/S-2
Surface Water

Fig. 3. Mean pH, uranium (nat.) and Ra-226 levels in surface water around the Jaduguda uranium-mining complex.

35
Derived Water Concentration: pH : 5.5 - 8.5
U (nat.) : 60 µg/l
30 Ra-226 : 300 mBq/l
pH
U (Nat.) µg/l
Ra-226 mBq/l
25
Mean Levels

20

15

10

0
< 0.5 0.5 - 1.6 1.6 - 5 >5
Distances from TP (km)

Fig. 4. Mean pH, uranium (nat.) and Ra-226 levels in ground water around the tailings pond.

Table 2 4. Conclusions
Median concentration of radionuclides in soil around tailings ponds at Jaduguda

Distance from T.P. U(Nat.) Ra-226 Th-230 Po-210

Due importance is given to the management of low-specific
(km) (Bq kg1) (Bq kg1) (Bq kg1) (Bq kg1) activity waste at uranium mining and ore processing operations of
Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. (UCIL) and various safety
o0.5 42 141 36 56 measures are taken to reduce radiation exposures to levels that
0.5–5 40 23 31 24
are as low as reasonably achievable. The continuous environ-
45 19 26 29 38
mental surveillance during mining and milling of uranium ore
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
1670 R.M. Tripathi et al. / Applied Radiation and Isotopes 66 (2008) 1666–1670
since the beginning of the operations has been effective in
controlling the environmental releases of radioactivity. All the
effluents are treated in the effluent treatment plant and
monitored for radioactive as well as chemical toxins before
discharge to the environment. The impact of these operations on
the local environment is only marginal. As a result of the
treatment methods applied to the tailings and the effluents
(which are subject to regular monitoring and regulatory review),
the radionuclides and chemical pollutants in the environment are
found to be well within the prescribed limits. There appears to be
no discernible impact of the mining and ore processing operations
on the ground water system.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Shri H. S. Kushwaha, Director,
Health, Safety and Environment Group, BARC for the encourage-
ment and support received. Thanks are also due to authorities of
UCIL for extending necessary facilities during the course of this
work. The authors also acknowledge the help and support
received from colleagues.
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