Researchers in China have created a cost-effective and energy-efficient method for extracting uranium from seawater. As the global leader in nuclear power plant construction, China’s advances will bolster its uranium supply.

The oceans are estimated to contain around 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium, significantly more than is available through traditional mining methods. However, these resources are challenging to extract. Previous methods have involved immersing materials in artificial sponges or polymers inspired by natural structures, or utilizing a more costly electrochemical approach to capture uranium atoms via an electric field.

A team led by Shuangyin Wang from Hunan University has developed an enhanced electrochemical technology that is not only cheaper but also requires less energy than existing methods. Unlike conventional systems that draw only uranium atoms towards a positive electrode, this new device utilizes two copper electrodes.

This innovative method managed to extract 100% of uranium from a brine solution within 40 minutes, whereas physical adsorption techniques typically yield less than 10% of the available uranium.

When tested with small amounts of natural seawater, the system processed about 1 liter at a time, achieving 100% extraction from East China Sea water and 85% from South China Sea water. In the latter scenario, larger electrodes allowed for complete extraction.

The energy cost of this method is over 1000 times lower than that of traditional electrochemical procedures, with extraction costing approximately $83 per kilogram of uranium—four times cheaper than earlier methods and significantly less than the $360 per kilogram average.

By scaling up production and device size, researchers believe this technique could lead to the “industrialization of uranium extraction from seawater” in the future. During a 58-hour test in 100 liters of seawater, the largest experimental setup managed to extract over 90% of the available uranium.

A notable earlier success in uranium extraction from seawater occurred during the 1990s, when the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency used physical adsorption methods to recover kilograms of uranium, setting a significant benchmark for subsequent research in China.

In 2019, China’s state-run nuclear power company partnered with research institutes to form the Innovation Alliance for Seawater Uranium Extraction Technology. The goal is to establish a demonstration plant by 2035 and achieve continuous industrial production by 2050. South China Morning Post.

Half of the reactor projects currently in development are located in China. The country is positioned to significantly increase its nuclear capacity by 2030, potentially surpassing both the US and the EU. International Energy Agency.

Nonetheless, China still imports the majority of the uranium it requires, making any economical extraction from seawater highly valuable.