Feasibility and Challenges of In Situ Uranium Leaching Using Ozone Bubbles: A Review

Utilization of ozone micro-nano bubbles during uranium leaching process has attracted attention in recent years because of ozone’s potent oxidizing capacity, high efficiency in mass transfer, and environmental compatibility. This review systematically presents the properties, generation methods and characterization approaches pertaining to ozone micro-nano bubbles (OMNBs) for the application of uranium leaching. In addition, the potentials and challenges of using ozone micro-nano bubbles to enhance uranium resources recovery are summarized. A lack of comprehensive understanding regarding uranium oxidation mechanism by ozone micro-nano bubbles under different pH conditions, along with the gaps in field experiments, has hindered the exploration and development of uranium leaching by OMNBs. In summary, further research endeavors on uranium oxidation mechanism by OMNBs and field trials are needed to facilitate the implementation of uranium leaching by OMNBs.