UNCONVENTIONAL METHODS OF RECOVERING URANIUM.

At present there are several possibilities of uranium mining -- open-cut mining, underground mining and chemical mining. The article deals with the ways of obtaining uranium from unconventional sources such as mine water, water from tailing ponds after processing uranium ore, sea water, fly ash from coal combustion etc. The paper also lists technologies of recovering uranium both from mine water of flooded uranium mines and the uranium deposits closed during the process of redevelopment in the Czech Republic In the Czech Republic uranium is currently extracted from mine water as a by-product of purification in Rožná and also in Stráž pod Ralskem. From 1945 until the mid 90's uranium mining industry was a very important industrial sector in the Czech Republic, with the country becoming the world leader in production of uranium concentrate. As recovering uranium from waters is financially demanding, new more effective technologies are still being sought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]