Uranium recovery from seawater has been investigated for several decades for the purpose of securing nuclear fuel for energy production. In this study, field column experiments have been performed at the Marine Sciences Laboratory of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) using a laboratory-proven, amidoxime-based polymeric adsorbent developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The adsorbent was packed either in in-line filters or in flow-through columns. The maximum amount of uranium uptake from seawater was 3.3 mg of U/g of adsorbent after 8 weeks of contact between the adsorbent and seawater. This uranium adsorption amount was about 3 times higher than the maximum amount achieved in this study by a leading adsorbent developed at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).
Revised: March 19, 2015 |
Published: March 11, 2014
Citation
Kim J., C. Tsouris, Y. Oyola, C. Janke, R.T. Mayes, S. Dai, and S. Dai, et al. 2014.Uptake of Uranium from Seawater by Amidoxime-Based Polymeric Adsorbent: Field Experiments, Modeling, and Updated Economic Assessment.Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 53, no. 14:6076-6083.PNNL-SA-104179.doi:10.1021/ie4039828