Recently, a research team at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) designed an innovative adsorbent known as plasma-light-amidoxime-cellulose (PLAOC) to efficiently extract uranium from seawater.
The related results were published in Applied Surface Science.
With the double carbon emission reduction target, nuclear energy as a clean energy source has a historical opportunity for rapid development. The polymeric functional materials based on the modification of amidoxime groups are considered ideal materials for uranium extraction from seawater. However, the adsorption performance of amidoxime-based adsorbent materials is greatly affected by the environment, and the adsorption capacity measured in the laboratory is generally higher than that in real seawater.
In this research, scientists employed low temperature plasma technology for material activation.
"Compared with conventional methods involving radioactivity, we used a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to produce uranium-rich adsorbents." said Prof. CHEN Changlun, who led the team.
The PLAOC adsorbent, created by introducing functional groups onto cellulose through plasma technology, has demonstrated exceptional uranium enrichment capabilities.
This approach focuses on surface activation while preserving the underlying structure of the material. An interesting aspect is that the monomer being modified does not require protection during this process.
With plasma-induced grafting technology, the energy of the active particles in the plasma can open these covalent bonds for recombination. Oxygen plasma was taken as a grafting tool to construct structures with multiple radicals on the cellulose surface for subsequent grafting activation.
One crucial aspect of this groundbreaking research is that PLAOC's uranium enrichment performance remained exceptionally high even when tested in simulated seawater. This result holds tremendous significance as it indicates the feasibility of employing plasma technology to produce uranium-rich adsorbents that can efficiently extract uranium from seawater sources.
"The results show that the plasma technology can significantly enhance the enrichment of uranyl ions at low concentrations in the preparation of amidoxime cellulose materials," said Prof. CHEN.
Preparation of cellulose@amidoxime by plasma-induced grafting technology and its potential application for uranium extraction. (Image by YU Supeng)
