Abstract:Uranium-bearing stone coal is widely distributed in southern China and is rich in organic matter and metallic sulfides. After being exposed to the surface by human mining, stone coal is easily oxidized by water-rock interaction, thus generating acidic mine drainage and releasing radioactive and toxic metal uranium. Therefore, abandoned stone coal mines are an important potential source of uranium contamination. The environmental effects of uranium leaching and release from stone coal mines under water-rock interaction were reviewed. The leaching and release process of uranium is influenced by several factors, including the abundance of uranium in stone coal, the mode of occurrence of uranium, weathering degree of stone coal, microbial action, pH and Eh value of leachate, and meteorological and hydrological conditions. Although significant progress have been made in the field of uranium leaching and release from stone coal under water-rock interaction, but the main factors and related mechanisms controlling uranium leaching and release are still unclear, especially the role of microorganisms in the process of uranium leaching and release, which requires further research.