The world's oceans contain an almost unlimited supply of dissolved uranium, with a uniform concentration of ~3.2ppb.Fiber-based adsorbents containing amidoxime groups have been in development since the 1980s. However, the adsorption capacity of the most advance braided polyethylene adsorbents, by Japan, was considered too low to be cost effective.  We began development efforts to advance the existing technology and increase the adsorption capacity of fiber-based adsorbents. We determined that the most effective method to increase the metal adsorption capacity was to increase the surface-area of the adsorbent fibers.  This increase in the surface-area and enhancement of the manufacturing process resulted in much higher capacity and faster adsorption.  We continue efforts to vary surface-area, process optimization and exploring changes in adsorbent composition to improve the absorption capacity for uranium and other metal ions.  Sponsored: The U.S. Department of Energy - The Office of Nuclear Energy with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Synthesis of amidoxime-based adsorbents with high adsorption capacity for uranium and other metal ions

245th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.