Uranium Mineral Transport in the Peña Blanca Desert: Dissolution or Fragmentation? Simulation in Sediment Column Systems
The Sierra Peña Blanca (SPB) region in Chihuahua, Mexico contains a significant uranium deposit representing about 40% of the country’s reserves. Common uranium minerals in this area include uranophane, schoepite, and weeksite/boltwoodite, with several superficial occurrences. Mining activities in t...
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| author | Victoria Pérez-Reyes Rocio M. Cabral-Lares Jesús G. Canche-Tello Marusia Rentería-Villalobos Guillermo González-Sánchez Blanca P. Carmona-Lara Cristina Hernández-Herrera Fabián Faudoa-Gómez Yair Rodríguez-Guerra Gregorio Vázquez-Olvera Jorge Carrillo-Flores Ignacio A. Reyes-Cortés Daniel Hernández-Cruz René Loredo-Portales María E. Montero-Cabrera |
| author_facet | Victoria Pérez-Reyes Rocio M. Cabral-Lares Jesús G. Canche-Tello Marusia Rentería-Villalobos Guillermo González-Sánchez Blanca P. Carmona-Lara Cristina Hernández-Herrera Fabián Faudoa-Gómez Yair Rodríguez-Guerra Gregorio Vázquez-Olvera Jorge Carrillo-Flores Ignacio A. Reyes-Cortés Daniel Hernández-Cruz René Loredo-Portales María E. Montero-Cabrera |
| author_sort | Victoria Pérez-Reyes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Sierra Peña Blanca (SPB) region in Chihuahua, Mexico contains a significant uranium deposit representing about 40% of the country’s reserves. Common uranium minerals in this area include uranophane, schoepite, and weeksite/boltwoodite, with several superficial occurrences. Mining activities in the 1980s left unprocessed uranium ore exposed to weathering, with potential transport towards Laguna del Cuervo. This study presents an experimental simulation of uranium transport in SPB sediments using three approaches: (i) a batch experiment to evaluate the ideal adsorption of (UO<sub>2</sub>)<sup>2+</sup> by fine sediment; (ii) a column system fed with 569 mgU L<sup>−1</sup> UO<sub>2</sub>(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> to simulate adsorption by different sediment particle sizes; (iii) a column system with an upper horizon of uranophane from the area, fed with deionized water, to simulate uranium weathering and transport in particulate material, determined by liquid scintillation counting, revealed that the clay fraction had the highest adsorption capacity for U. X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) analysis at the U L<sub>3</sub> edge confirmed the U(IV) oxidation state and the fittings of the extended XAFS spectra confirmed the presence of the uranophane group of minerals. X-ray tomography further corroborated the distribution of particulate minerals along the column. The results suggest that the primary transport mechanism in SPB involves the fragmentation of uranium minerals, accompanied by eventual dissolution and subsequent adsorption of U onto sediments. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4c2a783010c74290b64848792d686dab2025-01-24T13:20:03ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-01-0115260910.3390/app15020609Uranium Mineral Transport in the Peña Blanca Desert: Dissolution or Fragmentation? Simulation in Sediment Column SystemsVictoria Pérez-Reyes0Rocio M. Cabral-Lares1Jesús G. Canche-Tello2Marusia Rentería-Villalobos3Guillermo González-Sánchez4Blanca P. Carmona-Lara5Cristina Hernández-Herrera6Fabián Faudoa-Gómez7Yair Rodríguez-Guerra8Gregorio Vázquez-Olvera9Jorge Carrillo-Flores10Ignacio A. Reyes-Cortés11Daniel Hernández-Cruz12René Loredo-Portales13María E. Montero-Cabrera14Advanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoFaculty of Animal Science and Ecology, Autonomous University of Chihuahua, Perif. R. Almada km 1, Chihuahua 31453, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoFaculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Chihuahua, Circuito Universitario Campus II, Chihuahua 31125, MexicoFaculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Chiapas, Blvd. Belisario Domínguez km 1081, Tuxtla Gutiérrez 29050, MexicoInstituto de Geología Estación Regional del Noreste, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Luis Donaldo Colosio s/n, Los Arcos, Hermosillo 83250, MexicoAdvanced Materials Research Center, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31136, MexicoThe Sierra Peña Blanca (SPB) region in Chihuahua, Mexico contains a significant uranium deposit representing about 40% of the country’s reserves. Common uranium minerals in this area include uranophane, schoepite, and weeksite/boltwoodite, with several superficial occurrences. Mining activities in the 1980s left unprocessed uranium ore exposed to weathering, with potential transport towards Laguna del Cuervo. This study presents an experimental simulation of uranium transport in SPB sediments using three approaches: (i) a batch experiment to evaluate the ideal adsorption of (UO<sub>2</sub>)<sup>2+</sup> by fine sediment; (ii) a column system fed with 569 mgU L<sup>−1</sup> UO<sub>2</sub>(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> to simulate adsorption by different sediment particle sizes; (iii) a column system with an upper horizon of uranophane from the area, fed with deionized water, to simulate uranium weathering and transport in particulate material, determined by liquid scintillation counting, revealed that the clay fraction had the highest adsorption capacity for U. X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) analysis at the U L<sub>3</sub> edge confirmed the U(IV) oxidation state and the fittings of the extended XAFS spectra confirmed the presence of the uranophane group of minerals. X-ray tomography further corroborated the distribution of particulate minerals along the column. The results suggest that the primary transport mechanism in SPB involves the fragmentation of uranium minerals, accompanied by eventual dissolution and subsequent adsorption of U onto sediments.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/609Sierra Peña BlancauraniumparticlesXAFSX-ray tomography |
| spellingShingle | Victoria Pérez-Reyes Rocio M. Cabral-Lares Jesús G. Canche-Tello Marusia Rentería-Villalobos Guillermo González-Sánchez Blanca P. Carmona-Lara Cristina Hernández-Herrera Fabián Faudoa-Gómez Yair Rodríguez-Guerra Gregorio Vázquez-Olvera Jorge Carrillo-Flores Ignacio A. Reyes-Cortés Daniel Hernández-Cruz René Loredo-Portales María E. Montero-Cabrera Uranium Mineral Transport in the Peña Blanca Desert: Dissolution or Fragmentation? Simulation in Sediment Column Systems Applied Sciences Sierra Peña Blanca uranium particles XAFS X-ray tomography |
| title | Uranium Mineral Transport in the Peña Blanca Desert: Dissolution or Fragmentation? Simulation in Sediment Column Systems |
| title_full | Uranium Mineral Transport in the Peña Blanca Desert: Dissolution or Fragmentation? Simulation in Sediment Column Systems |
| title_fullStr | Uranium Mineral Transport in the Peña Blanca Desert: Dissolution or Fragmentation? Simulation in Sediment Column Systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Uranium Mineral Transport in the Peña Blanca Desert: Dissolution or Fragmentation? Simulation in Sediment Column Systems |
| title_short | Uranium Mineral Transport in the Peña Blanca Desert: Dissolution or Fragmentation? Simulation in Sediment Column Systems |
| title_sort | uranium mineral transport in the pena blanca desert dissolution or fragmentation simulation in sediment column systems |
| topic | Sierra Peña Blanca uranium particles XAFS X-ray tomography |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/609 |
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