Uranium extraction from seawater using natural byproducts: Evaluation and Testing

McGowan, Steven and Degueldre, Claude and Aiouache, Farid (2025) Uranium extraction from seawater using natural byproducts: Evaluation and Testing. PhD thesis, School of Engineering.

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Abstract

Nuclear power has experienced a resurgence in recent years due to the valuable contribution it can make in countering global warming. The operation of these next generation reactors still rely on uranium from finite geological sources. The IAEA estimates that, in the event of a high usage scenario, the currently known geological resources would reach $300 per kg in the next 80 years. (NEA and IAEA, 2016) This is considered the cap, because at that price amidoxime filtration from seawater would become economically viable. However, the mining and refinement of ores has other environmental effects, and it would be desirable to make this transition at a lower cost. One option for achieving this would be to use a low cost filtration medium, such as a naturally occuring byproduct of some other process, such as farming. This study aims to begin preliminary testing of these materials, and to attempt to model the properties of the capture reactions, in order to optimise the process, with a view to minimising the costs involved