USBM scientists, engineers, mineral specialists, and analysts work on problems that involve our health, environment, and economy. The agency's programs focus on worker health and safety, environmental remediation, pollution prevention, materials conservation, and mineral information and analysis. USBM technologies and data help protect our people and resources, our land and prosperity. Producing the materials we need generates huge volumes of wastes. USBM researchers are developing economically viable mining and mineral processing technologies that can help keep the earth clean.
Mining often means moving mountains of rock to recover small amounts of metal.
USBM scientists are taking a different approach using chemicals to leach metals out of the ground without digging it up. In-situ mining may give us new access to copper, phosphate, and other minerals. The USBM is working on alternative processing technologies that avoid the use of potentially toxic products. A leaching agent that can substitute for the cyanide that recovers precious metals from low-grade ores may give gold mining companies some new options. A process for purifying aluminum scrap works without chlorine.