The source
Around three-quarters of the uranium produced through mining comes from Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia. Uranium ore is mined from the earth’s crust then concentrated into its more radioactive form, which can be enriched to make both energy and bombs.
Enrichment
In nature, uranium is a mix of mostly two isotopes: U-238 and the far less common U-235. The enrichment process involves converting uranium into a gas and funnelling it into a fast spinning centrifuge. The lighter U-235 moves faster than the U-238, allowing the isotopes to separate when spun to increase the percentage of U-235. It is considered ‘highly enriched’ at 20 per cent U-235, but weapons-grade uranium is typically 90 per cent.
