uranium in the democratic republic of congo: yesterday ... · pdf fileuranium in the...

François Kazadi KabuyaCongo Atomic Energy Commission

Regional Office in KatangaCGEA /A.P.KAT

7/12/2010Mid-Term Project CM & Workshop on U Data Collection & Reporting, Accra, Ghana, 5-9 July 10 1

Uranium in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Yesterday,

Today and Tomorrow

DRC in brief� 60,000 000 inhabitants� 2,345,000 Km2 superficies� 11 Provinces but 26 very soon� 450 Ethnics and > 400 Tongues , 4 national languages� 60% of females and 40% males


DRC in brief� Research Reactors� Operational : 1� Shut down: 1 � Decommissioned: 0

� Mine Facilities � > 100 Mines� Minerals: Cu, Co, Al, Nb,

Gold, Sn, diamond, etc.


Historical Events1789 : Uranium is discovered by German Chemist

Martin Klaproth. 1789 - 1939 : U has little commercial value and no

strategic importance. (Pottery and Glass) 1896 : Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity. 1898 : Marie Curie and her husband Pierre discover

that uranium ore also contains Ra and Po (More than U).

1898 to 1925 : Ra is used to make dials glow in the dark, and to shrink malignant tumors. Ra becomes the most valuable substance on earth sold for $120,000 a gram. Ra is mined in Czechoslovakia, England, France, Russia and the Colorado Plateau (USA).

1925 to 1930 : By mining rich deposits in the Congo, a Belgian company drives the price of radium down to about $75,000 per gram, forcing its competitors out of business and achieving a world monopoly.


Henry Becquerel

J. & M. Curie

Historical Events, cont..� July 1942 :

The US Army orders another 350 tons of uranium from Eldorado.

� September 1942 : The U.S. Army acquires 1200 tons of rich U concentrates from the Congo

� December 1942 : The U.S. Army orders another 500 tons of uranium from Eldorado,

� Eldorado interrupts its delivery of Canadian U to the US and begins processing the Congolese U instead.

� U from the Congo, refined at Port Hope, dominates the Manhattan Project.

� 1943 to 1945 : � U from Canada, Colorado, and the

Congo is used in the WW II Atom Bomb Project:

� U is enriched and used as a nuclear explosive in the Hiroshima bombs

� U is used as metallic fuel for the world's first Reactors

� A fraction of the U fuel is converted into Pu which is then extracted and used as a nuclear explosive in the Trinity and Nagasaki bombings

� Po extracted from U ore is also used, in combination with Be to provide neutrons needed to detonate both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.



Shinkolobwe Mines� Discovered in 1906 with Union

Minière (Belgian Company)� 1915: U is discovered as a yellow ore and confirmed that the deposit was very rich in Uranium Oxide and Lead� 1924:

Highly concentrated Ra & U are discovered and commercialized. Belgium monopolized the world market� After WWI only Radium is mined,

stored at Panda and sent to Oren in Belgium

Shinkolobwe Mines� 1937: Shinkolobwe site is closed. 2000 tons of 65% U3O8 are stockpiled to supply the world demand for 20 years� Up to 1937: Canadians and Belgians compete to control Ra market. Ra prices decline from $70,000 to 25,000 per gram� 1938: UMK & Eldorado Gold Mines joined in cartel with 60% of the world market to the Belgium. Radium price rises to US$2,000 /g� 1938: U is sent to USA to prevent it from Germany possession� About 25,000 tons of U were produced from the site


Manhattan Project and the DRC Uranium� 1939: Otto Hahn, in Germany, performed the first proven nuclear fission experience

� The U.S. assembled a team of nuclear scientists from several countries to work on atomic weapons � Their work, known as the Manhattan Project, resulted in the first nuclear explosion at the Trinity test site in New Mexico in July 1945. � 1939: 1st Einstein letter to Roosevelt to discuss development of nuclear weapon and suggesting the use of U from Belgian Congo

Albert EinsteinOld Grove Rd.Nassau PointPeconic, Long Island

August 2nd 1939F.D. RooseveltPresident of the United StatesWhite HouseWashington, D.C.Sir:

Some recent work by E.Fermi and L. Szilard, which has been com-municated to me in manuscript, leads me to expect that the element uran-ium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the im-mediate future. Certain aspects of the situation which has arisen seemto call for watchfulness and, if necessary, quick action on the partof the Administration. I believe therefore that it is my duty to bringto your attention the following facts and recommendations:

In the course of the last four months it has been made probable -through the work of Joliot in France as well as Fermi and Szilard inAmerica - that it may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reactionin a large mass of uranium,by which vast amounts of power and large quant-ities of new radium-like elements would be generated. Now it appearsalmost certain that this could be achieved in the immediate future.

This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs,and it is conceivable - though much less certain - that extremely power-ful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed. A single bomb of thistype, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroythe whole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However,such bombs might very well prove to be too heavy for transportation byair.



� -2-The United States has only very poor ores of uranium in moderate

quantities. There is some good ore in Canada and the former Czechoslovakia. while the most important source of uranium is Belgian Congo.

In view of the situation you may think it desirable to have morepermanent contact maintained between the Administration and the Group of physicists working on chain reactions in America. One possible Way of achieving this might be for you to entrust with this task a personwho has your confidence and who could perhaps serve in an inofficialcapacity. His task might comprise the following:

a) to approach Government Departments, keep them informed of thefurther development, and put forward recommendations for Government action, giving particular attention to the problem of securing a supply of uran-ium ore for the United States;

b) to speed up the experimental work,which is at present being car-ried on within the limits of the budgets of University laboratories, byproviding funds, if such funds be required, through his contacts with yprivate persons who are willing to make contributions for this cause,and perhaps also by obtaining the co-operation of industrial laboratorieswhich have the necessary equipment.

I understand that Germany has actually stopped the sale of uraniumfrom the Czechoslovakian mines which she has taken over. That she shoulhave taken such early action might perhaps be understood on the groundthat the son of the German Under-Secretary of State, von Weizsäcker, isattached to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut in Berlin where some of theAmerican work on uranium is now being repeated.

Yours very truly,

The Manhattan Project …� August 1939: Leo Szilar

Memo to Roosevelt to use U from Belgian Congo in the development of nuclear weapons

� 1940: Stockpile of U bearing ore is shipped to the USA

� August 15, 1942: Manhattan Project Director General Lislie Groves purchased 1250 ton of Belgian Congo U to UMK

� August 1945: Japan Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed and destroyed.

� The world became aware of the enormous destructive power of nuclear weapons

Uranium in the DRC Today� 1982 COGEMA prospecting� U is not mined any more in

the DRC since 1942� Most Cu and Co mines

contain amount of low to moderated grade of U� U ore is classified as

restricted material by a Presidential Decree� Monitoring is conducted to

prevent illegal mining in some mining sites


Uranium in the DRC Today


Rocks and Ore concentrates samples characterized

Monitoring during exploration


Camping during Exploration Monitoring



Data of U Content in Rocks and Ore ConcentratesEchantillons / Samples Eléments / Elements Activités (/ Activities Bq/Kg) Teneurs / Grades (ppm) Débit Annuel de doses /Doses

R331 TAL

U-234 1,708 7,880 560nSvU-235 297,350 7,323 97,55μSvU-238 42.380,174 3,609 13,9mSv

R336

U-234 1,587 7,278 520nSvU-235 211,740 5,185 69,46μSvU-238 29.554,982 2,503 9,696mSv

R335

U-234 2,783 12,77 913nSvU-235 425,41 10,42 139,5 μSv

U-238 60.115,166 5,094 40,35 mSv

R334

U-234 0,944 4,327 309,6nSvU-235 176,760 4,326 57,98nSvU-238 24.551,667 2,078 16,48mSv

R SUD A

U-234 2,895 13,07 949,7nSvU-235 369,340 8,900 121 μSvU-238 52.974,888 4,415 35,55 mSv

R SUD B

U-234 1,453 6,648 476,6nSvU-235 246,81 6,029 80,97 μSvU-238 36,254 3,063 24,33 μSv

R NORD A

U-234 2,919 13,400 957,6 nSvU-235 292,680 7,175 96 μSvU-238 39.947,227 3,387 26,81mSv

R Nord B

U-234 2,148 9,858 704,6nSvU-235 277,740 6,806 91,11μSvU-238 38.212,042 3,238 25,53mSv

R Nord C

U-234 2,683 12,290 880,2nSvU-235 293,060 7,164 96,14μSvU-238 42.151,433 3,564 13,82mSv

Uranium in the DRC Today� In July 2007: Brinkley Mining Company (UK) agreed with the DRC for the production of uranium and for financial assistance to halt uranium smuggling. � The deal established a joint venture between Brinkley and the Congo Atomic Energy Commission (CGEA) to develop the country's uranium sector. � The joint venture concerned exploration and mining of uranium deposits of Shinkolobwe mine, Mindigi, Kalongwe and Kasompi. � September 2008: Agreements were terminated


Uranium in the DRC Tomorrow� One day U exploration and mining will be authorized again� Several countries are still interested in exploring and mining U

in the DRC� An agreement was signed by Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon

and the Congolese Government of the DRC in March 2009� Agreement implies creating a Joint commission to develop a

technical prospecting programm, detailed inventory of U mining sites and an update of database� Agreement is based on “win-win partnership” to develop the

country’s mining resources� Areva estimated that DRC’s “size and geographical profile

have given it major uranium reserves”



Thank you for your attention

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