Subject: Comments to the Draft Guidelines for the Application of UNFC-2009 to Uranium and Thorium Resources: from Mohamed H. Taha, Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt
3 July 2015
Dear Sir,
It is my pleasure to send a few comments related to the UNFC Guidelines:
1. UNFC system depends on the official reports from governments and companies. Therefore, this system requires a competent person to judge these reports before they are transferred to the UNFC system. (In many cases these reports are not confidential).
2. (G axes) in some cases, there is a proved reserve for uranium as example; therefore, it considered is in G1. But if this reserve is not enough for an industrial production, its category will change. Therefore, you should take this in consideration and also give a guideline for the minimum limits for the mineral reserve to be suitable for commercial production.
3. (F axes) if there is a certain process for uranium recovery such as ISL or Heap Leaching, it means it considered as F1, but if this process is expensive, the F category will change. Therefore, you should take in consideration and also give a guide for the minimum limits for the mineral recovery cost to be suitable for commercial production step. In addition, if F axes depend on the leaching process only or also the other processes that follow the leaching process such as solvent extraction or ion exchange. The economics also can change if there is a possibility of additional co-products, minimization of waste etc.
4. UNFC system needs more effort to be applicable for unconventional resources. For example, to apply the UNFC system for uranium from phosphates, you have to take in consideration the three axes (G, F, E) of phosphate itself because they will strongly affect in the three axes of uranium Economics of the co-products could be highly inter-dependent in many such cases.
The case studies are good, but it is suggested that quantities also could be given for the case studies from China and India.
Comments from Mohamed H. Taha, Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt, to the Draft Guidelines for the Application of UNFC-2009 to Uranium and Thorium Resources.
3 July 2015
Dear Sir,
It is my pleasure to send a few comments related to the UNFC Guidelines:
1. UNFC system depends on the official reports from governments and companies. Therefore, this system requires a competent person to judge these reports before they are transferred to the UNFC system. (In many cases these reports are not confidential).
2. (G axes) in some cases, there is a proved reserve for uranium as example; therefore, it considered is in G1. But if this reserve is not enough for an industrial production, its category will change. Therefore, you should take this in consideration and also give a guideline for the minimum limits for the mineral reserve to be suitable for commercial production.
3. (F axes) if there is a certain process for uranium recovery such as ISL or Heap Leaching, it means it considered as F1, but if this process is expensive, the F category will change. Therefore, you should take in consideration and also give a guide for the minimum limits for the mineral recovery cost to be suitable for commercial production step. In addition, if F axes depend on the leaching process only or also the other processes that follow the leaching process such as solvent extraction or ion exchange. The economics also can change if there is a possibility of additional co-products, minimization of waste etc.
4. UNFC system needs more effort to be applicable for unconventional resources. For example, to apply the UNFC system for uranium from phosphates, you have to take in consideration the three axes (G, F, E) of phosphate itself because they will strongly affect in the three axes of uranium Economics of the co-products could be highly inter-dependent in many such cases.
The case studies are good, but it is suggested that quantities also could be given for the case studies from China and India.
Comments from Mohamed H. Taha, Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt, to the Draft Guidelines for the Application of UNFC-2009 to Uranium and Thorium Resources.