Extraction of Uranium from Seawater (IMAGE)
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Uranium extraction from seawater at a viable cost is a long-term quest in the sustainable future development of nuclear power. Radiation-modified polyethylene fiber is considered to be the most suitable adsorbent found in seawater in terms of adsorption efficiency, mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. A scheme for extracting uranium from seawater on a pilot/plant scale consists of preparing an amidoxime-based ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibrous adsorbent with a radiation- induced graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile and acrylic acid and the subsequent conversion of cyano groups to amidoxime groups on the graft chains. The resultant UHMWPE fibrous adsorbent braids are plaited and planted on the sea floor, where they stand like seaweed. After a soaking period of 30 to 60 days underwater, uranyl and other metal ions are adsorbed by the amidoxime functional groups on the surface of the plaits. Last, the adsorbent braids are recovered from the testing site by a ship on which the elution and collection of uranium and the regeneration of the adsorbent material can be completed. The end product, U3O8, is produced in the form of yellowcake and the adsorbent material can be reused (see the article by XING Zhe, HU JiangTao, WANG MouHua, ZHANG WenLi, LI ShiNeng, GAO QianHong & WU GuoZhong in SCIENCE CHINA Chemistry 2013 No. 11 issue, page 1504�).
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