How is it Produced?
Before uranium can be used as a fuel in a nuclear reactor it must be mined and processed. Uranium ore is extracted from the ground using common open-pit or sophisticated underground mining techniques. Once the ore is excavated, the uranium is extracted or separated from the rock using a chemical process.
Future Energy, LLC is dedicated to supporting Solution mining, also known as ISL, or In situ Leaching. Solution mining is the process of recovering uranium from a water-saturated, underground ore body in a manner which leaves overlying rock strata and the land surface intact. It involves leaving the ore where it is in the ground, and using liquids which are pumped through it to recover the minerals out of the ore by leaching. Consequently there is little surface disturbance and no tailings or waste rock generated.
http://www.wma-minelife.com/uranium/papers/isltxt01.html
After extraction, the uranium is further processed and crushed into powder or yellowcake. The final product is uranium oxide concentrate (U3O8). This is the form in which uranium is sold. It then undergoes additional treatment or enrichment to be used as fuel in nuclear reactors. 