Radionuclides in mineral processing (NORM)

ANSTO Minerals offers advice to industry and government on how to overcome problems arising from the presence of radioactivity in all minerals.

Olympic Dam. Image courtesy of BHP Billiton

Elevated levels of radioactivity occur in the processing of coal, oil/gas, phosphate, tin, tantalum, niobium, fluorite, garnet and heavy mineral sands (monazite, zircon, ilmenite and rutile). The downstream processing and refining of these materials can lead to an unacceptable concentration of radioactivity in products, e.g. synthetic rutile produced
from ilmenite, or waste stream, e.g. coal ash, smelter dust flues or scale in water treatment.

ANSTO Minerals offers the following services:

• Determination of the level of radioactivity
• Knowledge of legislation regarding the handling of mineral products containing radioactivity
• Physical and chemical treatment processes to remove radioactivity
• Treatment and management of radioactive wastes
• Laboratory, engineering and pilot plant studies

For enquires to ANSTO Minerals, contact: ansto.minerals@ansto.gov.au.
Telephone: +61 2 9717 3858.