Absorbents for Uranium Extraction From Seawater

Abstract

Seawater contains approximately 4.5 billion tons of dissolved uranium, making it a significant potential source of nuclear fuel. However, the low uranium concentration, interference from competing ions, and the complex marine environment pose major challenges to the economic feasibility of uranium extraction. Among various extraction methods, adsorption is considered the most promising due to its low cost, simple operation, and strong adaptability to marine conditions. Current research primarily focuses on developing high-performance adsorbent materials, including polymers, MXene, framework materials, and bio-based adsorbents. To optimize adsorbent performance, efforts are directed toward enhancing adsorption selectivity, increasing functional group utilization, improving adsorption kinetics, and strengthening environmental adaptability. Researchers have explored various strategies to achieve these goals, such as ion imprinting, functional group engineering, and the application of external energy fields (e.g., light, electric fields) to enhance adsorption efficiency and uranium recovery. Although significant progress has been made in laboratory settings, real-world marine applications still face critical challenges, including biofouling resistance, large-scale engineering deployment, and efficient recovery. Future research efforts should focus on developing novel adsorbents, advancing external field-assisted extraction technologies, and optimizing large-scale engineering applications to enhance the practicality of seawater uranium extraction, ultimately making it a viable source of nuclear fuel.

Keywords

absorbents / enhancement strategy / uranium extraction from seawater

References

[1] Q. Meng, L. Wu, X. Yang, et al., “Photo-Enhanced Uranium Recovery From Spent Fuel Reprocessing Wastewater via S-Scheme 2D/0D C₃N₅/Fe₂O₃ Heterojunctions,” SusMat 4, no. 2 (2024): e199.

[2] D. S. Sholl and R. P. Lively, “Seven Chemical Separations to Change the World,” Nature 532, no. 7600 (2016): 435-437.

[3] Q. Zhou, X. Cao, J. Zhang, et al., “Protein with Twin Binding Sites for Uranium Extraction from Seawater,” National Science Review 12, no. 5, (2025): nwaf126, https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaf126.

[4] L. Feng, H. Wang, T. Feng, et al., “In Situ Synthesis of Uranyl-Imprinted Nanocage for Selective Uranium Recovery From Seawater,” Angewandte Chemie, International Edition 61, no. 13 (2022): e202101015.

[5] G. Zhou, J. Chen, F. Gao, et al., “Thick Hydrogel Membrane with Macro-Channel for Rapid Uranium Extraction from Seawater,” Advanced Functional Materials, ahead of print, February 3, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202425151.

[6] H. Wang, T. Xu, B. Zheng, et al., “Cuttlefish Ink Loaded Polyamidoxime Adsorbent with Excellent Photothermal Conversion and Antibacterial Activity for Highly Efficient Uranium Capture From Natural Seawater,” Journal of Hazardous Materials 433 (2022): 128789.

[7] M. Wang, L. Feng, G. Luo, et al., “Ultrafast Extraction of Uranium from Seawater Using Photosensitized Biohybrid System with Bioinspired Cascaded Strategy,” Journal of Hazardous Materials 445 (2023): 130620.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2025 The Author(s). SusMat published by Sichuan University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.