Abstract
The albitite type of U-deposits have been established through detailed exploration and resource-evaluation by AMD in Rohil and adjoining areas of Rajasthan. Of these, 1,086.46 hectares in the Sikar district of Rajasthan has been recently issued a letter of interest (LOI), by the State Govt. of Rajasthan to start mining by the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. (UCIL). Salient attributes of the deposits are given, with their U-ore containing many sulphide/oxide ore minerals from which critical minerals (CMs), viz., Cu, Co, Ni, Mo and REEs are recoverable. It is suggested in this communication that (i) these CMs, besides U, may be extracted from the ore under value-addition in an integrated cost-effective project with high returns of investment and (ii) simultaneous laboratory/pilot-plant scale mineral processing of bulk ore from the proposed Rohil exploratory mine along with mine construction/development of these deposits is preferable, as it saves some time in establishing a processing plant for the U-ore to recover its main product (U) and by-products (CMs).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Australian Resources & Investment (2020) https://australianresourcesandinvestment.com.au/2022/06/30/europe-australias-next-critical-minerals-partner/Banerjee, D.C. (1972) Unpublished report, AMD, New Delhi.
Critical minerals. Geoscience Australia; https://www.ga.gov.auresources Current strategic metal prices: strategicmetals-invest.com
Dar, K.K. (1964) Some geological data on atomic energy minerals in India. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.5, pp.112–120.
Dept. of Interior, US Geological Survey (2018) Critical minerals in the Federal Register Interior releases 2018’s final list of 35 minerals deemed critical to U.S., National Security and Economy.
Dhana Raju, R. (2019) Albitisation-related, metasomatic hydrothermal type U-deposits in the Rohil-Raghunathpura area, NE Rajasthan and SW Haryana. Book chapter 6, In: Indian Uranium Deposits, pp. 326–393, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, the U.K.
Dhana Raju, R. (2020) Critical minerals: Their nature, occurrence, recovery and uses. Curr. Sci., v.119(6), pp.919–925.
Dhana Raju, R. (2022) Critical minerals, recoverable from radioactive materials for value- addition: Indian examples. United Internat. Jour. Res. Tech., (UIJRT), v.3(8), pp.29–43.
Geonesis (2022) Explained: What are critical minerals, the centerpiece of a new India-Australia collaboration [www.geonesis.in], July 2022, pp. 2–3 (Source: The Indian Express).
Hindustan Times (2022) Rajasthan issues letter of intent to Uranium Corporation for mining in Sikar. Updated on June 27, 2022 at 06:46 PM IST.
Jain, R.B., Yadav, O.P., Rahman, M., Thippeswamy, S., Fahmi, S., Sharma, D.K. and Singh, G. (1999) Petrography and geochemistry of the radioactive albitites and their genesis, Maonda area, N. Rajasthan. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v. 53(4), pp. 407–415.
Khandelwal, M.K., Jain, R.C., Dash, S.K., Padhi, A.K. and Nanda, L.K. (2010) Geological characteristics of Rohil uranium deposit, Dist. Sikar, Rajasthan. Mem. Geol. Soc. India, no.76, pp.75–85.
Khandelwal, M.K., Sharma, S.K., Pandey, P., Tripathi, B.K. and Kumar, S. (2018) An integrated approach for uranium exploration in Mesoproterozoic Khetri sub-basin, Rambas-Gorir-Dhancholi area, district Mahendragarh, Haryana and district, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Expl. Res. At. Miner., (EARFAM), v.27, pp.163–170.
Mining Weekly Daily News — Global Edition, July 04, 2022
Mishra, B., Kumar, K. and Khandelwal, M.K. (2018) Uranium mineralization in the Khetri Sub-Basin, North Delhi Fold Belt, India. In: Book of abstracts and extended abstracts of the Intl. Symp. on ‘Uranium Raw Material for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Exploration, Mining, Production, Supply, Demand, Economics & Environmental Issues’ (URAM 2018), IAEA, June 25–29, Vienna, Austria. Extended Abstract, pp. 285–288.
Narayan Das, G.R., Sharma, D.K., Singh, G. and Singh, R. (1980) Uranium mineralisation in Sikar district, Rajasthan. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.21, pp.432–439.
Padhi, A.K., Aravind, S.L., Saxena, A., Kumar, K., Choudhury, D.K., Purohit, R.K., Nanda, L.K. and Rai, A.K. (2016) Uranium potential of Mesoproterozoic North Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan, India: An Overview. Expl. Res. At. Miner., (EARFAM), v.26, pp.53–70.
Pandey, U.K., Tripathi, B.K., Bisht, B.S., Sunil Kumar, T.S., Sarvanan, B. and Sinha, D.K. (2022) Age of uranium mineralisation from the North Delhi Fold Belt (NDFB): Evidences from U-Pb, Pb-Pb and Sm-Nd systematics. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.98(8), pp.1085–1094.
Ramakrishnan, M. and Vaidyanadhan, R. (2008) Geology of India. Geol. Soc. India, Bengaluru, v.1, 556p.
Ray, S.K. (1990) The albitite line of Northern Rajasthan-A Fossil Intracontinental Rift Zone. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.36, pp.413–423.
Rout, D., Krishnamurthi, R., Bisht, B.S. and Sinha, D.K. (2022) Mineralogy of altered host rocks of Rohil uranium prospect, North Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan. In: National Seminar, “75 years of mineral exploration and future challenges in India”, AMD, Hyderabad, April 5–6, 2022, Abstract volume, p. 82.
Roy, Minati, Sunil Kumar, T.S., Sanjay Kumar, Bhairam, C.L. and Parihar, P.S. (2016) Ore mineralogy and mineral-chemistry of uranium mineralisation, and geochemistry of metasomatized calcsilicate rocks at Raghunathpura, Mahendragarh district, Haryana. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.87(6), pp.691–705.
Saraswat, A.C. (1955) A report on radiometric survey carried out in the vicinity of Khandela, Sikar district, Rajasthan. Unpubld. Rep., AMD, New Delhi.
Singh, G., Banerjee, D.C., Dhana Raju, R. and Saraswat, A.C. (1990). Uranium mineralization in the Proterozoic mobile belts of India. Expl. Res. At. Miner. (EARFAM), v.3, pp.83–101.
Singh, G., Singh, R. Sharma, D.K., Yadav, O.P. and Jain, R.B. (1998) Uranium and REE potential of the albitite-pyroxenite-microclinite belt of Rajasthan, India. Expl. Res. At. Miner. (EARFAM), v.11, pp.1–12.
Sreenivas, T., Patel, A.B., Ram Karan, Anandrao K., Rajan, K.C. and Madangopal, K. (2018) Comprehensive extraction scheme for multi-metal recovery from metasomatite-albitite hosted low grade Indian uranium ore. In: Book of abstracts and extended abstracts of the Intl. Symp. on ‘Uranium Raw Material for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Exploration, Mining, Production, Supply, Demand, Economics & Environmental Issues’ (URAM 2018), IAEA, June 25–29, Vienna, Austria. Extended Abstract, pp. 399–401.
Yadav, O.P., Hamilton, S., Vimal, R., Saxena, S.K., Pande, A.K. and Gupta, K.R. (2002) Metasomatite-albitite-hosted uranium mineralisation in Rajasthan. Expl. Res. At. Miner. (EARFAM), v.14, pp.109–130.
Yadav, O.P., Nanda, L.K., Jagadeesan, P. and Panigrahi, B. (2010) Concealed uranium mineralization in Hurra-ki-Dhani — Maota —Jahaz sector, North Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan, India — An exploration strategy. Expl. Res. At. Miner., (EARFAM), v.20, pp.43–50.
Acknowledgements
I sincerely thank my former colleagues in AMD for their support and help to me during my service in AMD, and also to an anonymous reviewer of the journal for his comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dhana Raju, R. Value-addition, by Extraction of Critical Minerals — Cu, Co, Ni, Mo and REEs — from the Albitite Type U-deposits in Rohil and Adjoining Areas, Rajasthan, India. J Geol Soc India 98, 1661–1664 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-2234-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-2234-4