The
growth of the industry had very important effects upon the economy
generally. Uranium production involves the use of very great quantities
of sulphuric acid, of lime, manganese and glue. The mining industry
therefore had to build and operate sulphuric acid plants;120 this,
in turn, created a use for pyrites, itself a by-product of mining. In
addition, ammonia and nitric acid are also required in considerable
amounts. The 'multiplier' effect of uranium production is thus very
considerable, even if attention is confined to the basic raw materials
involved. But the impulsion given to South African economic life goes
much beyond this :
Another
item of local interest is that attention has recently been given to the
question of growing the guar plant in South Africa, the seeds of which,
after processing, appear to offer a suitable flocculating medium for
aiding filtration in the uranium plants.
Stainless
steel fabrication in South Africa is a new development which has grown
primarily from the requirements of uranium extraction plants. The
rubber lining of pumps, piping and so forth used in the plants is
another new South African industrial development; in fact, the
rubber-lining project undertaken by South African industry for the
uranium producers is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, ever
accomplished in this field. The results of this undertaking were so
satisfactory that when the Canadians decided to use rubber-lined
equipment in their plants several South African technicians were sent
over to Canada to assist in establishing the process. Uranium plant
instrumentation is another highly important feature of the extraction
