A new method of uranium mining open access to infinite nuclear energy

The ocean is one of the main sources of uranium, however, the content of this element in sea water is so minimal that its production for many years was considered uneconomic. A new method of uranium mining, outdoor Stanford scholars, will make sea water is an inexhaustible source of fuel for nuclear reactors.





Uranium in the ocean water contains in the form of uranyl ions with a positive charge. The total mass of uranium in the ocean environment is 4.5 billion tons — this amount would be enough to provide all existing nuclear power plants for 6000 years. However, to extract uranium from seawater is not so simple.

"Concentration is so small that it can be compared to dissolved in a liter of water a grain of salt. But the oceans cover such a space, if to get all these grains, we obtain an inexhaustible source of uranium," said one of the study's authors And Zwei.

Usually used for the production of woven plastic fiber, coated with amidoximes that attracts the uranyl ions. Then to get injured, the plastic is subjected to chemical processing and from the resulting substances produced raw materials for the reactors. By this method, extraction of 1 kg uranium costs $300.
 





American scientists have managed to cut costs in half. They have developed fiber-based carbon and amidoxime that conduct electricity. The transmission of electrical impulses through the fibers to 9 times more uranyl ions.

 

During the 11-hour test, scientists were able to collect 3 times more of uranium, and the service life of the fibers was increased three-fold, allowing you to use them again.

 

Nuclear energy is considered one of the most promising sectors of energy in the future, especially when will rise sharply the problem of climate change. Some countries are planning to develop small nuclear power. According to research by the British Institute for energy technology, the first small modular reactors can be installed in the UK by 2030. And in the middle of the 2020s, small modular nuclear power plants in the USA.

 

P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©

Source: hightech.fm/2017/02/22/endless_nuclear_power

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