Chinese researchers have reportedly created an entirely new organic material to extract uranium ore from seawater, uranium is one of the most important materials in fueling nuclear reactors.
Nuclear power has always relied on uranium, a nonrenewable energy source and the main heavy metal used to power nuclear reactors. Although uranium ore has historically been extracted from rock, scientists are working to remove it from saltwater.
The majority of Earth's surface is made up of seas, which are home to an astounding variety of life forms and a diluted population of uranium ions, according to sources.
Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) researchers created economically feasible SA-DNA hydrogel microspheres for the selective adsorption of uranyl ions (UO22+) by using functional DNA strands and inexpensive sodium alginate (SA).
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An employee leaves in his car from the nuclear plant on Three Mile Island, with the operational plant run by Exelon Generation on the right, in Middletown, Pennsylvania on March 26, 2019.
With uranium-to-vanadium ratios of 43.6 in simulated seawater and 8.62 in natural seawater, the SA-DNA hydrogel microspheres showed noticeably higher uranium selectivity than previously reported advanced adsorbents using the amidoxime group for uranium extraction.
Additionally, this new absorbent has remarkable mechanical robustness and recyclability, is inexpensive, easy to produce, and is environmentally benign. According to the study, these DNA-based adsorbents can extract additional valuable metal ions from seawater because different DNAzymes have different capacities to identify various metal ions.
One way to think of the task is like trying to find one gram of salt in 300,000 gallons of fresh water. Chinese scientists used untreated natural saltwater for their adsorption research.
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Efficient SA-DNA Hydrogel Microspheres
The uranium adsorption capacity in natural seawater was 8.62 times more than the vanadium adsorption capacity, suggesting that the SA-DNA hydrogel microspheres significantly select for UO22+ in real-world applications.
The adsorbent demonstrated exceptional adsorption performance, especially in terms of its ultra-high selectivity, when submerged for an extended period in real saltwater.
According to sources, the adsorptive material is a mixture of composite microspheres, a substance generated by ion exchanges between sodium alginate and calcium ions, and DNA enzymes, a particular type of DNA.
Because the enzymes only become active when they bind to particular metal ions-a property that helps distinguish uranium ions over interfering with one's function as a "detector." Then, the microspheres-which have a significant adsorption capacity and quick adsorption movement-play a role, the paper continued.
China's Nuclear Power
This new study shows how China continues to advance its nuclear power development, an aspect that the nation was recently reported to be ahead of the United States by 15 years.
China's strategic state-backed approach and significant financial investments are credited with the country's rapid advancements in nuclear energy, according to the US-based research institute Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. These factors have given Chinese firms a significant competitive advantage over their Western counterparts.
China is currently at the forefront of the world's nuclear energy movement, having built 27 nuclear reactors at a rate significantly faster than other countries average construction time of about seven years for each reactor.
Additionally, the nation has set lofty goals to build 150 additional nuclear reactors between 2020 and 2035. China claims to have independently produced roughly 90% of the necessary technology for the world's first fourth-generation nuclear reactor, whose operational debut represents a significant turning point in the country's history.
Furthermore, China has strengthened its competitive advantage in the use of nuclear technology by spearheading the development and introduction of affordable small modular reactors (SMRs).
Experts speculate that China's success in nuclear innovation stems from its methodical approach and successful organizational tactics, which have allowed the nation to lead the way in implementing and developing fourth-generation nuclear technologies.
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