Yellowcake is a product obtained from refining uranium ore and is traded as a commodity. It can be further refined for use in nuclear power plants or weapons. It is radioactive and can cause health problems if not handled properly. The refining process can also produce unwanted by-products that must be contained and disposed of properly.
Yellowcake, known to chemists as U3O8, is a product obtained from the processing of uranium ore. Raw uranium ore does not usually contain very high concentrations of this useful ore, so it must be refined to purify it and concentrate the uranium. The production of yellowcake is a step in the refining process. This product is traded as a commodity in markets in different corners of the world and some governments have expressed concern about the production and sale of yellowcake because it can be used in the production of nuclear weapons.
Mills generate yellowcake by pulverizing the ore they mine and then leaching it with acidic chemicals to create a concentrated material that can be further refined and purified, depending on the source and impurities present. As the name suggests, yellowcake can actually be yellowish to orange in color, with some mills producing brown, gray, or black yellowcake. It is often stored in large drums so that it can be conveniently inventoried, handled and moved.
Also known as urania, yellowcake can be further refined for use in nuclear power plants such as those used to generate electricity and power for submarines. Urania can also be enriched for use in specialized reactors and weapons construction. However, enrichment is far from a simple task, requiring specialized facilities, skills and chemicals, so the average person on the street wouldn’t be able to take a drum of yellowcake and turn it into something dangerous. This makes fears about the spread of urania less of a concern, although this substance is still not necessarily something that should be readily available to anyone who wants it.
Yellowcake is radioactive, which means special precautions must be taken during processing, handling, storage and transportation. Like other radioactive substances, urania can cause health problems if people are exposed to it and could pose a serious pollution risk if released into the environment in large quantities. Theoretically, yellowcake could be used to make a dirty bomb, with conventional explosives used to distribute urania to contaminate an area and cause widespread fear.
The production of Urania is also a messy and potentially polluting process. The unwanted by-products of refining, known as tailings, must be contained somehow and eventually disposed of, or they will find their way into soil and waterways, causing environmental problems. The mining industry sometimes comes under fire for failure to contain pollutants and failure to control refinery sites.
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