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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Uranium as a renewable for nuclear energy
AU - Degueldre, Claude
PY - 2017/1
Y1 - 2017/1
N2 - Uranium extraction is the first step of the nuclear fuel cycle. Currently, uranium is only extracted from solid ores such as uranium rich minerals (% level) or minerals such as phosphates (ppm level). For some years extraction of uranium from sea water (ppb level) has been the topic of investigations particularly in Japan due to its national interest. In the huge oceanic volume the amount of uranium is constant, regulated by its river input (soluble) and balanced by its scavenging (particulate) on the sea floor. This work shows that the uranium extraction with parsimony from sea water could be carried in a renewable way if its concentration remains quasi constant. Recommendations for the extraction with use of gel panels or with braid of fabric grafted by sorbing groups in high tide or oceanic pelagic current environments are suggested along with a reduction of the uranium consumption.
AB - Uranium extraction is the first step of the nuclear fuel cycle. Currently, uranium is only extracted from solid ores such as uranium rich minerals (% level) or minerals such as phosphates (ppm level). For some years extraction of uranium from sea water (ppb level) has been the topic of investigations particularly in Japan due to its national interest. In the huge oceanic volume the amount of uranium is constant, regulated by its river input (soluble) and balanced by its scavenging (particulate) on the sea floor. This work shows that the uranium extraction with parsimony from sea water could be carried in a renewable way if its concentration remains quasi constant. Recommendations for the extraction with use of gel panels or with braid of fabric grafted by sorbing groups in high tide or oceanic pelagic current environments are suggested along with a reduction of the uranium consumption.
KW - Uranium
KW - Resources
KW - Nuclear energy
KW - Sea water
KW - Renewable
U2 - 10.1016/j.pnucene.2016.03.031
DO - 10.1016/j.pnucene.2016.03.031
M3 - Journal article
VL - 94
SP - 174
EP - 186
JO - Progress in Nuclear Energy
JF - Progress in Nuclear Energy
SN - 0149-1970
ER -