Heap leaching has been used for a long time to extract metals and other materials from heaps of mined ore. A liner is placed under the heap of ore and a solution containing cyanide is dripped onto the heap. As the liquid travels through the heap, it interacts with metals and other compounds in the ore. The liquid collects on the liner and is then subjected to further chemical processes that separate the different valuable materials dissolved in the ore. The use of cyanide in this process has a serious impact on the environment. Recently, bioheapleaching methods of utilizing living microorganisms to separate metals and other compounds from an ore heap have been developed and are much safer and cleaner than using cyanide.
The Talvivaara Mining Company was a Finnish mining business which produced nickel from the Sotkamo mine in Finland through its subsidiary Talvivaara Sotkamo (TS). In mid-2010, TS applied to the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy for a license under the country's Nuclear Energy Act for the right to extract uranium as a by-product from their Sotkamo mine. The requested license was granted in 2012. In May of 2014, TS got an environmental permit from Northern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency to recover uranium at the Sotkamo mine. Unfortunately, TS was unable to capitalize on all the work they had done to produce uranium when financial problems brought the Talvivaara Mining Company it to the brink of bankruptcy in mid-2015.
Terrafame Ltd. is a state-owned Finnish multi-metals company. In August of 2015, Terrafame took over the business operations and assets of Talvivaara Sotkamo Ltd. following bankruptcy proceeding and liquidation. Terrafame currently carries out bioheapleaching of nickel and zinc at the Sotkamo mine.
Terrafame has just received permission from Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) to extract a small amount of uranium as it experiments with chemical processes that it intends to use in a uranium recovery plant it will construct. It plans to start extracting uranium as a by-product of the Sotkamo mine in late 2019.
STUK has given Terrafame a limited permit to produce about one hundred and sixty gallons of a chemical solution that will contain about thirteen pounds of uranium following a test of the leaching process. The permit is limited to the period from December 13th, 2017 to June 30th, 2018. Terraframe is authorized to store this uranium solution in suitable premises until June of 2023. Prior to carrying out the experimental uranium extraction authorized by the permit, Terrafame must supply information regarding radiation protection and safety arrangement to STUK.
Terrafame presented an application for large-scale uranium recovery to the Finnish Ministry of Employment and Economic Affairs at the end of October, 2017. In order to start uranium recovery, Terrafame must also get approval from STUK. And, in addition to these requirements from the Finnish government, Terrafame must also get a permit to export uranium for processing from the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). Terrafame hopes to be able to satisfy all these regulatory requirements in time to begin full scale operations by the end of 2019.
The actual amount of uranium in the ore from the Sotkamo mine is quite low. Terrafame claims that it should be possible to recover “sufficient amount of uranium for commercial purposes, using modern methods”.
