U6+ reduction to U4+ Research papers reveal
uranium breaks away from host rock it will become mobile and ultimately
form other bonds to other minerals including ( O ) oxygen bonds.
Separating the additional ( O ) bonds
is nessisary to achieve the desired U4+ uranium.
Page 43
The anomalous "coffinite" was found to be susceptible to alkaline carbonate leaching without oxidation, from which Edwards (2018b) concluded that the anomalous "coffinite' is likely a
hydrated U+6 silicate of possible U6+(SiO4)?(OH)? formula. Blue Sky Uranium has chosen to refer to the anomalous Ivana "coffinite" as β-coffinite (beta-coffinite) to simplify future discussions and avoid confusion
(G. Pensado, 2018, written commun.)
https://minedocs.com/26/Amarillo-Grande-PEA-12312023.pdf
It was known back in 2018 <----------
The U6+ Ivanaite was in fact susceptible to alkaline leaching.
6 year later -----> no processing report.
Was known prior to 2019 + 2024 peas's.
Coffunite accounts for 90:10 ratio of uranium in Ivana.
9x more than the primary.
Outer valance ( O ) bonds form around the Uranium
( O) = anion ( neg ) most likely offer the beta reading ( masks inner U alpha )
Versus cation = positive
Uranium
loves to form bond with.... manganese, iron, calcium and organics.
Each of these can be considered - reducers
Reducing U6+ to U4+
As fead above in 2024 pea
Simple alkaline carbonate leaching reduced the U6+
Perhaps carbonic acid simple CO2
Other venues of reducing agents ?
Bacteria / Enzymes
Abiotic Biogentic Buffers
by DM Hausladen · 2023 · Cited by 5 — Organic buffers act as reductants of abiotic and biogenic manganese oxides | Scientific Reports
JOURNAL OF GEOCHEMICAL EXPLORATION
Detrital grains of the black shales were transported and accumulated in depressions above karstified carbonates in the Yunfeng area, where they were subjected to intense weathering to form bauxite ores.
The weathering of the shale clasts liberated much of the uranium due to oxidation of uranium from U4+ to U6+. However, the majority of the U6+ was reduced to U4+ again due to availability of reducing agents such as organic matter and sulfides originally in the shales, forming nanocrystals of UO2+x in close association with Ti-oxides disseminated in Al-hydroxides and clay minerals.
These nanocrystals of UO2+x were converted to uraninite during diagenesis, together with the convention of gibbsite and boehmite to diaspore and the formation of anhedral to euhedral pyrite and various Cu-, Pb-, Ni- and Co-rich sulfides. The recognition of uraninite in the bauxite ores is important for uranium exploration and for evaluation of the economic value of uranium as a byproduct of bauxite deposits.
https://faculty.cdut.edu.cn/SH123/en/lwcg/133575/content/69273.htm
Essentially,
one is looking for a catalyst reaction to provoke / remove extra ( O ) bonds.
There are all sorts of of reagents that do so.
Dual, Triple reagents that could accommodate diff kinds of bonds.
Intriducing a solution that seeks ( O ) bonds or is initially deprived of ( O ) such as
distiledl water + acid
= could be a wise path knowing distill water is near vacant of ( O ) bonds.
Funny thing is.... 2018 states it was already known alkaline carbonate worked.
Now... doesn't the second phase extraction already use ----> soda carbonate ?
Yup.
Which means.... milling should've been introduced into flowsheet to capture
mineralized ores over 100+ um.
Block modelling
Acute blocking of Ivana's mineralized lenses affords optinum capture of
each mineralized tonne while veering from unmineralized zones. Mining only
mineralized zones BUT.... only carnotire was measured.
What if orher zones have only uranium no vanadium ?
Such should be measured and included.
Ivanas hump is dead center of C or U shaped deposit.
Hard to didmiss the ( center hump ) decayed assisting the carnotite phase.
And of course, Maria zone hardrock drill cuttings.
U6+
Uranyl
6 orbital oxygen
90% coffinite U6+ = majority uranium type
vs
near all effort placed focus on 10% primary wash + scrub
no loose rocks or hardrock
When U238 is processed for enrichment
0.72% U235 is extracted
Remaining 99.3% U238 proceeds to next phase enrichment U239 plutonium
They convert the U238 to a hexafluroide ( multiple fluroide valance )
Adding bonds or Removing bonds
Uranium is known to form over 300+ bonds.
Asstated earlier in post...
there are several formats to remove ( O ) bonds.
Cheers....