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History of SER ISRU

In the 2009 General Session, the Legislature of the State of Wyoming appropriated $1.6 million to the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources (SER) for activities related to the development of uranium through in-situ recovery (ISRU) in Wyoming. SER has used that appropriation toward the following outreach and research activities:

• September 22, 2009 - Uranium Extraction Workshop, Cheyenne, WY
• October 2009 - Research Priorities for In-Situ Uranium Recovery in Wyoming - report of findings
• Public Opinion in Wyoming about In-Situ Uranium Recovery, WYSAC, (2010). Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center, University of Wyoming
• August 4, 2010 - The Future of Uranium Production in Wyoming - A Public Forum on In-Situ Recovery, Laramie, WY
• Analysis of Remediation Strategies for Radionuclide-Contaminated Soils in Uranium Mining - graduate student research project in progress.
• In-Situ Recovery of Uranium Research Program

In-Situ Recovery of Uranium Research Program

In 2011, SER developed a competitive research program from the ISRU appropriation focused on optimizing the economic recovery of uranium through ground water restoration and research on waste water management.  In 2011 and 2012, SER funded a total of seven research projects related to aquifer restoration, groundwater treatment, identification of uranium deposits and risk assessment modeling.  All projects will reach completion in 2015.  Final executive summary reports for completed projects can be found below:

• Enhancing Bioremediation of In-Situ Uranium Aquifers through Uranium and Carbon Isotopic Tracing of Biologic Activity, Kevin Chamberlain, University of Wyoming
• Testing the Chemical and Biological Efficacy of Cupric Oxide Nanoparticles to Remove Contaminants from Uranium In-Situ Recovery Produced Water, Jodi Schilz and Suzanne Clark, University of Wyoming
• Field Evaluation of the Restorative Capacity of the Aquifer Down Gradient of a Uranium In-Situ Recovery Mining Site During Mining Operations, Paul Reimus, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• A Column Study for Enhanced Bioremediation of In-Situ Uranium Aquifers with Varying Levels of Total Dissolved Solids, John Willford, University of Wyoming
• A Novel One-step Process for Uranium Production Bleed Water to Filter Trace Metals Using CuO (Cupric Oxide) Nanoparticles, KJ Reddy, University of Wyoming