Your Last Name 1

Materials in Engineering Systems – Uranium

Student Name

Professor Name

Course

Date
 Your Last Name 2

Outline

Introduction................................................................................................................................2

Societal Issues............................................................................................................................3

Economic Issues.........................................................................................................................4

Environmental Issues.................................................................................................................6

Conclusions................................................................................................................................6
 Your Last Name 3

Materials in Engineering Systems – Uranium

Introduction
Uranium ore was used since the 1st century in Rome to give a yellow glaze to ceramic

tiles and then later in the glass making industry. The German scientist Klaproth discovered

uranium and recognized it as a new element. Becquerel discovered the radioactive properties

in 1896 and Enrico Fermi discovered the fission properties in 1934. Meitner and Frisch

invented the term 'nuclear fission', and later research helped to establish that sustained fission

reaction with release of tremendous amount of energy was possible with uranium. These

discoveries lead to the understanding that the element could be used to develop nuclear

weapons. Several countries entered the race to develop nuclear weapons, and USA was the

first and only nation to detonate two nuclear bombs in Japan. One kilogram of uranium has

the potential to generate the energy equivalent of 1500 tons of coal. The main difference is

that the latent energy of uranium can be released in a single burst, vaporizing everything in

the area (Murray and Keith 12). Next sections discuss the socio economic factors that drive

the mining and use of uranium.

Societal Issues
Uranium ore deposits are found in just a few countries. Deposits are found in

undeveloped and emerging countries such as Kazakhstan, Niger, Namibia, Uzbekistan and

China as well as advanced economies such as USA, Russia, Australia, and Canada. In 2016,

global output rose to 62,012 tons. In 2016, Kazakhstan produced the highest quantity of ore,

amounting to 24,575 tons, Canada was next with 14,039 tons, and Australia was third with

6,315 tons. These quantities may appear small when compared to iron ore or coal that are

extracted in millions of tons (Nuclear Energy Agency 15).

Societal issues are different in these two groups of nations. Raw uranium ore has trace

amounts of radioactive properties. Prolonged exposure to the ore and inhaling radon gas
 Your Last Name 4

emitted by the ore, causes lung cancer, seen among mine workers and communities near these

deposits and cause long term radioactivity poisoning. Milling, a process where the ore is

ground to fine particles, and leaching, where these particles are chemical treated to produce

uranium, cause high risks to workers. Other diseases include kidney deformity, lung, renal

and blood cancer, chromosome aberrations, birth deformity, etc. Advanced nations provide

sufficient safety gear to workers for protection. In poor countries such as Namibia, workers

have little protection and incidences of lung cancer and heart problems are very high. A large

number of open and abandoned uranium mines are seen in Navajo areas and indigenous

people suffer from radioactive poisoning (Voyles 47).

Uranium ore mining, extraction and use sees immense political pressure and

manipulation. US formed the Atomic Energy Commission in 1947 with a view to control

uranium and production. At the height of the cold war, Soviet Russia and its satellite states

made concerted efforts to retain their nuclear power. Uranium ore and processed uranium is

tightly controlled and sold only to members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a group

of 48 countries that seek to control the production and use of uranium and nuclear weapons.

The main problem is that uranium, sold for energy production can be used to make nuclear

weapons. Therefore, NSG authorizes sale of the mineral only to countries that can

demonstrate that the uranium and nuclear power is used for peaceful purpose. Membership to

driven by political pressures. China vetoed against membership for India, and wants the same

benefits for Pakistan, a country that sold nuclear secrets to North Korea and Iran. Clearly,

power and political blocks are established (Nuclear Suppliers Group).

Economic Issues
Cost of uranium ore recovery from assured sources is about $ 260/kgU. International

prices fluctuate and the US had even created an artificial scarcity by cornering available

sources, leading to the uranium bubble of 2005-7, when uranium price increased to more than
 Your Last Name 5

$300/kg. As of 2017, there are 437 commercial nuclear reactors in 30 nations, generating of

2,262 Terra Watt Hours (TWh) of electricity. The amount of uranium consumed for weapons

is not clear, but requirements for weapons grade uranium is for 25 times more refined than

the one used in nuclear reactor. Current price of uranium is $26.5/ lb (Nuclear Energy

Agency 28).

Across the world, there is severe criticism against nuclear energy, even though it has

very low emission. While coal and oil powered plants add significant amount of emissions

and carbon to the environment, the carbon foot print of nuclear power plants is negligible.

Criticism comes from the inherent dangers of nuclear plants, the vast dangers that a

meltdown in these plants can cause, and the potential of using the enriched fissile material to

make nuclear bombs. Many European countries have begun phasing out nuclear power

plants. However, alternative energy sources such as solar and wind currently do not have the

potential of producing equivalent amount of power. Therefore, future demand is expected to

gradually decline (Trutnevyte 175).

Economics of uranium mining and nuclear power plants is a much debated issue.

Some authors argue that uranium mining and milling add hundreds of jobs to the local

economy besides benefits of taxes to the local counties. These benefits are possible, provided

all the negative impacts from uranium mining are neutralized. Costs of nuclear plant

construction are very high, in the range of $1500-$2000 / kilo watt. These plants take many

years to build, they require very large areas for the plant and surrounding areas must be

cleared. Cost of electricity generation depends on the availability of uranium, plant location,

distance to distribution points, and other factors. When the levelized cost of electricity

(LCOE) is considered, in USA, costs for an advanced nuclear plant are $95.9-$104.3/

Megawatt hours. For a coal fire plant with 30% carbon sequestration, it is $129.9-$196.3 /

Megawatt hours, for a Natural Gas-fired Conventional Combined Cycle it is $52.40-83.2/

 Your Last Name 6

MWh, for onshore wind it is $43.4-75.6/ MWh, and solar PV is it $58.3-$143/ MWh. Solar

and wind energy are more economical, non polluting, and they not pose any dangers.

However, their capacity to generate steady power is low, solar power is available in summer

months in desert and tropical areas, and wind power is available for a few months in areas

with strong winds. Therefore, the available sources of power are coal, gas, and nuclear power

plants (Schröder 6).

Environmental Issues
Uranium mining presents a number of environmental problems. These include acid

mine drainage, surface and ground water toxicity, dewatering effects with pumping water

from mines, toxic waste and tailings fallout, general effects of mining caused by damming,

rock blasts, excavation, surface and open pit mining, toxic effluents from processing,

leaching and milling, radiological effects on humans, aquatic and animal life, poisoning of

invertebrates, insects, and other organisms that are a part of the food chain, etc. When water

is contaminated, it will diffuse to major water ways, leach into soil, and remain radioactive

for millions of years. Some of these effects are seen in mining and processing steel, coals,

aluminum and other minerals. However, uranium causes radioactive poisoning, and affected

person cannot recover. The radioactive strength of refined and enriched uranium isotopes is

many times higher. However, people are not exposed to these isotopes since they are found

only in nuclear reactor cores or in fallout after a nuclear plant meltdown. While danger from

nuclear weapons exist, there is less possibility of even a rogue nation such as North Korea,

Pakistan or Iran using them. There is a consistent danger that terror groups may procure a

‘dirty bomb’, which will kill thousands of exposed citizens, when it is detonated in a crowded

city. In any case, environmental dangers from accidental uranium contamination are very

high (Committee on Uranium Mining in Virginia).

 Your Last Name 7

Conclusions
The paper examined social and economic factors behind uranium mining, processing,

and use. Uranium forms the basic raw material from isotopes of uranium are enriched. In its

natural, raw state, uranium is not harmful. Prolonged exposure to uranium ore and processes

such as milling and leaching can lead to various types of cancer and birth deformities. The

numbers of countries that mine uranium are limited. Uranium sale and consumption sees

political manipulation, and the mineral sold to only countries that have a record of using it for

power generation. The economics of power generation of nuclear plants indicates that nuclear

power compares with coal plants, that the cost is less than that of solar and wind power

systems. It is possible that if alternative energy systems become more effective, nuclear

power plants will be phased out.

 Your Last Name 8

Works Cited

Committee on Uranium Mining in Virginia. "Potential Environmental Effects of Uranium

Mining, Processing, and Reclamation." National Research Council, 2011,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201052/. Accessed 10 Dec. 2017

Murray, Raymond, and Keith Holbert. Nuclear Energy: An Introduction to the Concepts,

Systems, and Applications of Nuclear Processes. Elsevier, 2014

Nuclear Energy Agency. Uranium 2016: Resources, Production and Demand. International

Atomic Energy Agency, 2016.

Nuclear Suppliers Group. About The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Nuclear Suppliers

Group, 2017, www.nuclearsuppliersgroup.org/en/about-us. Accessed 10 Dec. 2017.

Schröder, Andreas. Current and Prospective Costs of Electricity Generation until 2050: No.

68. German Institute for Economic Research, 2013.

Trutnevyte, Evelina. "Synergies and Trade-Offs between Governance and Costs in Electricity

System Transition." Energy Policy, vol. 85, 2015, pp. 170-181.

Voyles Traci. Wastelanding: Legacies of Uranium Mining in Navajo Country. University Of

Minnesota Press, 2015.

Your Last Name 9