Improving Uranium Extraction From Seawater, Inspired by Shrimp 122
New submitter Celarent Darii writes "Prospects for harvesting Uranium from seawater turned interesting by using shrimp shells as a sort of catalyst."
Researchers at ORNL presented their findings from a test of a chitin net for harvesting Uranium at the ACS fall meeting. From the ORNL press release: "In a direct comparison to the current state-of-the-art adsorbent, HiCap provides significantly higher uranium adsorption capacity, faster uptake and higher selectivity, according to test results. Specifically, HiCap's adsorption capacity is seven times higher (146 vs. 22 grams of uranium per kilogram of adsorbent) in spiked solutions containing 6 parts per million of uranium at 20 degrees Celsius. In seawater, HiCap's adsorption capacity of 3.94 grams of uranium per kilogram of adsorbent was more than five times higher than the world's best at 0.74 grams of uranium per kilogram of adsorbent. The numbers for selectivity showed HiCap to be seven times higher."
Uranium (Score:4, Interesting)
Unlike oil, uranium will be found in comets, asteroids, planets, and deep within the earth. This applies to thorium as well. Effectively, it is an inexhaustible resource. The deeper you mine, the greater density of rock and the greater likeliness you will find uranium. Once we are able to mine the mantle we will be able to travel to the stars.
Re:Uranium (Score:1, Interesting)
And when pigs grow wings, they will be able to fly.
Re:Uranium (Score:2, Interesting)
And man will never fly in heavier than air machines. Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before from your ilk.
Read up on it. The amount of uranium in the oceans is staggering, and combined with a well thought out chain of nuclear reactor types, where the waste from one can feed the next in line, could solve humanity's energy problem effectively forever.