Boosting uranium extraction from Seawater by micro-redox reactors anchored in a seaweed-like adsorbent.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39443537.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-53366-3 and PMC identifier 11500014.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Efficient extraction of uranium from seawater is expected to provide virtually infinite fuel sources to power nuclear reactors and thus enable sustainable development of nuclear energy. The extraction efficiency for uranium greatly depends on the availability of active adsorption sites on the adsorbents. Maximization of the utilization rate of the binding sites in the adsorbent is vital for improving adsorption capacity. Herein, micro-redox reactors functioned by Cu(I)/Cu(II) conversion are constructed internally in an adsorbent bearing both amidoxime and carboxyl groups to induce active regeneration of the inactivated binding sites to enhance uranium capture. This adsorbent has high adsorption capacity (962.40 mg-U/g-Ads), superior anti-fouling ability as well as excellent uranium uptake (14.62 mg-U/g-Ads) in natural seawater after 56 days, placing it at the top of high-performance sorbent materials for uranium harvest from seawater.