Yellowcake

        Photo courtesy of Cogema, Inc.

"Yellowcake" is another name for uranium oxide, named for its color and texture. After uranium is mined and separated from ore, it is made into "yellowcake" and shipped to a conversion plant for more processing. Uranium must first be converted into a gaseous form and then go through a long process of "enrichment" before it can be used by a nuclear power plant. Nuclear power plants generate around 20 percent of the electricity produced in the United States.