In the last 60 years, Uranium mining has become the basis of one of the worlds most popular sources of energy. While Uranium is almost always used for nuclear energy, it is also used in medical isotopes. To obtain Uranium for nuclear power, it is generally mined in large open pit and underground mines. Like most other mines, mining Uranium destroys the ecosystem and landscape, produces lots of noise pollution, demolishes habitats and are very dangerous. More specifically, Uranium mines have an enormous occupational health and safety risks. Uranium mines emit a colourless, odourless, radioactive noble gas called Radon. These Radon’s are easily inhaled, hence, are very harmful to humans, leading to high levels of radiation. Possible solutions
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It is debatable, whether or not the positives outweigh the negatives. The main positives of mining Uranium include, nuclear power, relatively cheap, it is found everywhere and does not emit harmful gases to the environment. Nuclear energy is very cheap, and effective, it just takes a lot of maintenance and attention. Additionally, the process of making electricity from uranium through nuclear fission, is not harmful to the environment, in comparison to other fossil fuels. As mentioned above, Uranium is found everywhere, even in the ocean. If scientists discover a way to safely mine Uranium from the ocean, it is virtually …show more content…
This would also be a fairly cheap way of mining Uranium in the long run, because only a few mines would be needed and they could all be in the middle of the ocean, away from humans. Additionally, whilst that technology is being invented, we could convert all the new Uranium mines to in-situ leaching mines. This technology is already developed and is very cheap and safe, compared to open pit mining. Conventional mining involves removing rock from the ground. In contrast, in situ leaching involves leaving the ore in the ground, and recovering the minerals from it by pumping a dissolving agent into the ground, then brining the now Uranium-rich solution back to the surface. As a result, there is minimal surface disturbance and no waste generated (see Figure 5). However, this method needs to be carefully monitored so that it does not contaminate
It is debatable, whether or not the positives outweigh the negatives. The main positives of mining Uranium include, nuclear power, relatively cheap, it is found everywhere and does not emit harmful gases to the environment. Nuclear energy is very cheap, and effective, it just takes a lot of maintenance and attention. Additionally, the process of making electricity from uranium through nuclear fission, is not harmful to the environment, in comparison to other fossil fuels. As mentioned above, Uranium is found everywhere, even in the ocean. If scientists discover a way to safely mine Uranium from the ocean, it is virtually …show more content…
This would also be a fairly cheap way of mining Uranium in the long run, because only a few mines would be needed and they could all be in the middle of the ocean, away from humans. Additionally, whilst that technology is being invented, we could convert all the new Uranium mines to in-situ leaching mines. This technology is already developed and is very cheap and safe, compared to open pit mining. Conventional mining involves removing rock from the ground. In contrast, in situ leaching involves leaving the ore in the ground, and recovering the minerals from it by pumping a dissolving agent into the ground, then brining the now Uranium-rich solution back to the surface. As a result, there is minimal surface disturbance and no waste generated (see Figure 5). However, this method needs to be carefully monitored so that it does not contaminate