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Irving A. Breger

Publications and source records attributed to Irving A. Breger.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS1955

Geochemistry and mineralogy of a uraniferous sub bituminous coal

A sample of subbituminous uraniferous coal from the Red Desert, Sweetwater County, Wyo., has been studied mineralogically. The coal contains gypsum (6 percent), kaolinite (1 percent), quartz (0.3 percent), calcite (trace), and limonite (trace). This suite of minerals and the absence of pyrite show that the coal has been subjected to weathering and oxidation. No uranium minerals have been found; mechanical fractionation has indicated that the uranium is associated with the organic constituents of the coal. The minerals that have been isolated contain 0.0006 percent uranium, a content that is to be expected for nonuraniferous sedimentary rocks. The organic components of the coal contain approximately 0.002 percent uranium. On the basis of material-balance calculations, the organic components carry 98 percent of the uranium in the coal. Batch extraction of the Wyoming coal with 6 N hydrochloric acid leads to the solution of almost 90 percent of its uranium. Recovery of uranium is independent of the particle size of the coal between - 4 and - 20 mesh, and is accompanied by the solution of approximately 70 percent of the inorganic constituents (ash) of the coal. The extract contains, together with uranium, a concentration of several elements such as manganese, cerium, and vanadium that are present in the coal. Fischer assays of this weathered coal from the Red Desert indicate a yield of 16.7 gallons of tar per ton. Yields of both tar and char are about 15 percent lower if the coal is first treated with 6 N hydrochloric acid to extract the uranium. It is suggested that uranium was introduced into the coal by means of ground water carrying soluble alkaline or alkaline-earth uranyl carbonate complexes. The mineral schroeckingerite-a similar complex-is found near this subbituminous coal in the Red Desert of Wyoming. These complexes, which are unstable in acid medium, release the uranyl ion (U02++), which may then react with organic constituents of the coal to form ionic uranyl-organic compounds that are insoluble above a pH of about 2.2. Preliminary data indicate that the uranium is associated with various humic components of the coal. The distribution of uranium among the components of the subbituminous coal from Wyoming is similar to the distribution in a lignite from South Dakota. There is no indication that uranium was introduced into or retained by the two coals by appreciably different geochemical processes. © 1955 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.

Wyoming↗
USGS1955

Geochemistry and mineralogy of a uraniferous lignite [South Dakota]

Detailed studies have been carried out on a uraniferous lignite from the Mendenhall strip mine, Harding County, S. Dak. By means of heavy-liquid separations, a mineral-free concentrate of the lignite was obtained that contained 13.8 percent ash and 0.31 percent uranium in the ash. The minerals (gypsum 69 percent, jarosite 10 percent, quartz 2 percent, kaolinite and clay minerals 19 percent, and calcite trace) contain only 7 percent of the uranium in the original coal, indicating an association of the uranium with the organic components of the lignite.Batch extractions show that 88.5 percent of the uranium can be extracted from the lignite by two consecutive treatments with boiling 1 N hydrochloric acid. Continuous extraction with hot 6 N hydrochloric acid removes 98.6 percent of the uranium.Columns of coal were treated with water, 1 N hydrochloric acid, 6 N hydrochloric acid, and a solution of lanthanum nitrate. The experiment with lanthanum nitrate indicated that only 1.2 percent of the uranium in the coal is held by ion exchange. The elutriation experiments showed that the uranium is held in the coal as an organo-uranium compound or complex that is soluble at a pH of less than 2.18.A geochemical mechanism by which the uranium may have been introduced into and retained by the lignite is discussed.

South Dakota↗
USGS1955

Radioactive equilibrium in ancient marine sediments

Radioactive equilibrium in eight marine sedimentary formations has been studied by means of direct determinations of uranium, radium and thorium. Alpha-particle counting has also been carried out in order to cross-calibrate thick-source counting techniques. The maximum deviation from radioactive equilibrium that has been noted is 11 per cent—indicating that there is probably equilibrium in all the formations analyzed. Thick-source alpha-particle counting by means of a proportional counter or an ionization chamber leads to high results when the samples contain less than about 10 p.p.m. of uranium. For samples having a higher content of uranium the results are in excellent agreement with each other and with those obtained by direct analytical techniques. The thorium contents that have been obtained correspond well to the average values reported in the literature. The uranium content of marine sediments may be appreciably higher than the average values that have been reported for sedimentary rocks. Data show that there is up to fourteen times the percentage of uranium as of thorium in the formations studied and that the percentage of thorium never exceeds that of uranium. While the proximity of a depositional environment to a land mass may influence the concentration of uranium in a marine sediment, this is not true with thorium.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗
USGS1955

Germanium and uranium in coalified wood from upper Devonian black shale

Microscopic study of black, vitreous, carbonaceous material occurring in the Chattanooga shale in Tennessee and in the Cleveland member of the Ohio shale in Ohio has revealed coalified woody plant tissue. Some samples have shown sufficient detail to be identified with the genus Cauixylon . Similar material has been reported in the literature as “bituminous” or “asphaltic” stringers. Spectrographic analyses of the ash from the coalified wood have shown unusually high percentages of germanium, uranium, vanadium, and nickel. The inverse relationship between uranium and germanium in the ash and the ash content of various samples shows an association of these elements with the organic constituents of the coal. On the basis of geochemical considerations, it seems most probable that the wood or coalified wood was germanium-bearing at the time logs or woody fragmenta were floated into the basins of deposition of the Chattanooga shale and the Cleveland member of the Ohio shale. Once within the marine environment, the material probably absorbed uranium with the formation of organo-uranium compounds such as exist in coals. It is suggested that a more systematic search for germaniferous coals in the vicinity of the Chattanooga shale and the Cleveland member of the Ohio shale might be rewarding.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗
USGS1955

Preliminary experiments on the reduction of the uranyl ion to uraninite by carbonaceous substances

An aqueous solution of uranyl sulfate containing a suspension of subbituminous coal has been heated at 210 C for three days. Examination of the coal at the end of the experiment showed it to contain 31.8 percent uranium recognizable as uraninite by a sharp, strong X-ray diffraction pattern. A similar experiment with degraded spruce wood also led to the formation of uraninite but in lesser quantity and with broader lines in the X-ray diffraction pattern. The ability of coal or wood to reduce the uranyl ion is a critical factor in the correlation of studies of uraniferous coals containing the uranyl ion with studies of uraninite-bearing coalified wood from the Colorado Plateau. Although these results are based an preliminary experiments, they are extremely important geochemically and warrant the development of the series of controlled studies that are proposed.

Trace Elements Memorandum↗
USGS1954

Germanium and uranium in coalified wood from Upper Devonian black shale

Microscopic study of black, vitreous, carbonaceous material occurring in the Chattanooga shale in Tennessee and in the Cleveland member of the Ohio shale in Ohio has revealed coalified woody plant tissue. Some samples have shown sufficient detail to be identified with the genus Callixylon. Similar material has been reported in the literature as "bituminous" or "asphaltic" stringers. Spectrographic analyses of the ash from the coalified wood have shown unusually high percentages of germanium, uranium, vanadium, and nickel. The inverse relationship between uranium and germanium in the ash and the ash content of various samples shows an association of these elements with the organic constituents of the coal. On the basis of geochemical considerations, it seems most probable that the wood or coalified wood was germanium-bearing at the time logs or woody fragments were floated into the basins of deposition of the Chattanooga shale and the Cleveland member of the Ohio shale. Once within the marine environment, the material probably absorbed uranium with the formation of organo-uranium compounds such as have been found to exist in coals. It is suggested that a more systematic search for germaniferous coals in the vicinity of the Chattanooga shale and the Cleveland member of the Ohio shale might be rewarding.

Trace Elements Investigations↗
USGS1953

Mineralogy and geochemistry of a uraniferous coal from the Red Desert Area, Sweetwater County, Wyoming

A sample of subbituminous uraniferous coal from the Red Desert, Sweetwater County, Wyo., was studied mineralogically. The coal contains gypsum (6 percent), kaolinite (1 percent), quartz (0.3 percent), calcite (trace), and limonite (trace). This suite of minerals and the absence of pyrite show that the coal has been subjected to weathering and oxidation. No uranium minerals have been found; mechanical fractionation has indicated that the uranium is associated with the organic constituents of the coal. The minerals that have been isolated contain 0.0006 percent uranium, a content which is to be expected for nonuraniferous sedimentary rocks. The organic components of the coal contain approximately 0.002 percent uranium. On the basis of material balance calculations, the organic components carry 98 percent of the uranium in the coal. Fischer assays of this weathered coal from the Red Desert indicate a yield of 16.7 gallons of tar per ton on low-temperature retorting. In view of the large reserve of subbituminous coal in the Red Desert, its probable ease of mining, and its tar yield, it may be desirable to carry out further evaluation of the coal as a fuel or raw material for the manufacture of tar or chemicals. If economic factors permit utilization of the coal, the uranium, although present in small percentages, could be recovered as a byproduct.

Wyoming↗