The uranium from seawater program at PNNL: Overview of marine testing, adsorbent characterization, adsorbent durability, adsorbent toxicity, and deployment studies
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL) Marine Science Laboratory (MSL) located along the coast of Washington State is evaluating the performance of uranium adsorption materials being developed for seawater extraction under realistic marine conditions with natural seawater. Two types of exposure systems were employed in this program: flow-through columns for testing of fixed beds of individual fibers and pellets and a recirculating water flume for testing of braided adsorbent material. Testing consists of measurements of the adsorption of uranium and other elements from seawater as a function of time, typically 42 to 56 day exposures, to determine the adsorbent capacity and adsorption rate (kinetics). Analysis of uranium and other trace elements collected by the adsorbents was conducted following strong acid digestion of the adsorbent with 50% aqua regia using either Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) or Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The ORNL 38H adsorbent had a 56 day adsorption capacity of 3.30 ± 0.68 g U/ kg adsorbent (normalized to a salinity of 35 psu), a saturation adsorption capacity of 4.89 ± 0.83 g U/kg of adsorbent material (normalized to a salinity of 35 psu) and a half-saturation time of 28 10 days. The AF1 adsorbentmore »
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- Marine Sciences Lab., Sequim, WA (United States). Pacific Northwest National Lab.
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States)
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA (United States)
- Univ. of Miami, Miami, FL (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 55; Journal Issue: 15; Journal ID: ISSN 0888-5885
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Research Org:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; uranium; seawater; amidoxime; adsorption capacity; adsorption kinetics; marine testing; uranium toxicity; biofouling; themodynamic modelling
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1286943