This book discusses the impacts of uranium pollution and its geochemistry and behaviour in abandoned uranium mining sites. The author starts by presenting an overview of uranium occurrence in nature, its radioactivity, uses and market trends as well as the major uranium deposits of the world, followed by the main characteristics of abandoned uranium sites. Particular attention is given to the common reasons for mine abandonment, conventional and non-conventional uranium extraction techniques, and to ore processing and ore extraction chemistry. The author then explores the topic of uranium mining waste and dives into the uranium dynamics in different abandoned mining sites, including abandoned underground mines, abandoned open-pit mine lakes, and abandoned in-situ leaching mines. In this book, readers will also find more about uranium dispersion, ecotoxicological hazards, radioecology and biogeochemistry in abandoned mines. The book ends with a chapter devoted to uranium attenuation in abandoned mining sites, in which the author offers valuable insights into natural attenuation mechanisms and discusses the challenges of natural attenuation in abandoned mines. Readers will find in each chapter a brief introduction to the topic and a chapter conclusion that gathers the main scientific outputs and the authors perspective from the discussion.
This book is a valuable resource to understand the environmental issues of uranium in abandoned mine sites and given its breadth, it will appeal to scholars, researchers, professionals and policymakers alike.
Chapter
1. Introduction.
Chapter
2. Characteristics of Abandoned
Uranium Mining Sites.
Chapter
3. Uranium in Mine Waste Rock and Tailings
Piles.
Chapter
4. Uranium Behaviour in Abandoned Underground Mines.
Chapter
5. Uranium Dynamics in Pit Lakes.
Chapter
6. Uranium Behaviour in Abandoned
In-Situ Leaching Mines.
Chapter
7. Uranium and Contaminant Dispersion from
Abandoned Mining Sites.
Chapter
8. Uranium Toxicology and Ecotoxicology in
Abandoned Mining Sites.
Chapter
9. Radioecology of Abandoned Uranium Mines.-
Chapter
10. Uranium Biogeochemical Behaviour in Abandoned Mines.
Chapter
11.
Natural Attenuation of Uranium in Abandoned Mining Sites.
Chapter
12.
Concluding Perspectives.
Martin Mkandawire is a Professor of Solid-State Chemistry at Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and a former Industrial Research Chair for Mine Water Management. His research focuses on developing costeffective, sustainable technologies for mine water remediation, water treatment, and environmental protection. He also works at the intersection of biophotonics, photochemistry, and nanotechnology, exploring organometallic compounds, photocatalytic metal oxides, and bioinspired device design for improved energy conversion, particularly in organic solar cells and chipbased environmental biosensors. Before joining Cape Breton University, Mkandawire served at Technische Universität Dresden in Germany, rising to the rank of Privatdozent. His work there spanned biomaterials, nanomaterials, microfluidics, biosensor development, and advanced remediation strategies for radioactive contaminants such as radium, uranium, and arsenic in mining environments.
