Mineral reserves of naturally radioactive thorium-bearing raw materials

The state of mineral reserves of thorium-bearing raw materials from the Kola Peninsula and other regions of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States is examined. Schemes for secondary extraction of thorium during processing of the most accessible raw-material sources – loparite, baddeleyite, monazite, pyrochlore, and columbite-tantalites – are presented. In theory, ores of operating mines, thorium-bearing wastes obtained during decontamination of reprocessed concentrates, as well as raw materials sources best prepared for processing, for example, perovskite concentrate from the Afrikanda field, rare-metal raw material from the Tomtor field, baddeleyite concentrate, and others, can meet the demand. It is concluded that in the near future about 300 tons thorium/yr can be obtained from accumulated wastes of operating mines and as a by-product of processing rare-earth raw material.