Do you know what Uranium is all about?

What is Uranium?

Uranium is known with the symbol U that is a silvery-white metallic chemical element. It has 92 as its atomic number. It comes under the actinide series of the periodic table. 6 are valence electrons in its 92 electrons and 92 protons in its one atom. The most common uranium types are uranium-235 (143 neutrons) and uranium-238 (146 neutrons). Uranium has weak radioactive quality. Uranium’s all isotopes are unstable. The density of uranium is 70% higher than lead, but less than that of tungsten or gold. It is extracted from uranium-bearing minerals commercially such as uraninite.

The leading countries of the world in the production of concentrated uranium oxides:

In the year 2005, the efforts of many a uranium mining company from 17 countries made them able to produce concentrated uranium oxides in which Canada and Australia became the world’s largest producer of concentrated uranium oxides. Greenland Mining Services is one of the Australian company added its efforts in the same. Canada with 27.9% of the total world’s production and Australia with 22.8% are the two leading countries. Some other countries that also added their efforts in world’s uranium supplies such as Kazakhstan with 10.5%, Russia with 8.0%, Namibia with 7.5%, Niger with 7.4%, Uzbekistan with 5.5%, the United States with 2.5%, Argentina with 2.1%, with Ukraine 1.9% and China with 1.7%. These countries played a significant role in the production of concentrated uranium oxides. Many a uranium mining company in Kazakhstan is playing a crucial role for world’s total supply of uranium. It is believed that the available resources of uranium will survive for the nest 85 years.

Applications of uranium:

The major application of uranium is in the defense services in the military sector. It is used in the high-density penetrators. To store and transport radioactive materials, depleted uranium is required to manufacture shielding containers. It is used in aircrafts also in aircraft control surfaces. As it has high density, it is used in gyroscopic compasses and inertial guidance systems. It is used in the fuel nuclear power plants that produce energy for variety of industrial and domestic activities. 1 kilogram of uranium-235 can produce about energy of 80 terajules.

As Canada and Australia are the leading providers of uranium to the world. In Australia itself, Greenland Mining Services play a really crucial role in the production of uranium.

We have to better indulge ourselves in its recycling so that exploitation of earth can be avoided to certain extent.