Organic Phosphorus Grafted Polymer Adsorbents for Uranium Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current technologies for extracting uranium from seawater face limitations due to low adsorption rates and capacities, pH discrepancies, and competition from other dissolved metals, resulting in inefficient uranium recovery and high costs.

Innovation Solution

Radiation-induced grafting of organic phosphates, phosphonates, and phosphoric acids onto polymer fibers to create adsorbents with enhanced uranium adsorption capabilities, including high selectivity and broad pH range effectiveness, forming fibers or membranes that can be towed through seawater.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If packed columns with fine particles are used to improve uranium adsorption effectiveness, then uranium uptake is improved, but flow resistance increases and requires pumps instead of gravity flow

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuranium uptake effectivenessVSAvoidflow resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The adsorbent is segmented into fine particles that can be suspended in a slurry form, allowing them to be carried by gravity flow through a filter while maintaining high surface area for effective uranium uptake. The fine particles are separated from the solution after adsorption through filtration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A filter acts as an intermediary component that allows gravity-driven flow while capturing the fine particle adsorbent after it has performed its uranium adsorption function. The filter enables the system to benefit from high surface area adsorbent without the flow resistance problems of packed columns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If conventional amidoxime-based adsorbents are used, then uranium extraction is achieved, but performance is limited by low adsorption rates and capacities due to pH discrepancies and competition from other dissolved metals

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuranium extraction rateVSAvoidadsorption capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The adsorbent material is changed from amidoxime-based to a novel composite material with different chemical properties that exhibit broader pH effectiveness and higher selectivity for uranium. This parameter change in material composition enables the system to maintain high adsorption capacity and rate in seawater conditions with pH around 8.1 and presence of competing metals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If single-use adsorbents are used to simplify the process, then operational complexity is reduced, but cost increases and resource efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocess complexityVSAvoidadsorbent reuse

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The adsorbent is designed to be recovered from the filtered slurry and regenerated for repeated use. After adsorption, the adsorbent particles are separated by filtration, washed to remove accumulated metals, and reused multiple times. This recovering approach reduces both operational complexity and the loss of valuable adsorbent material.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The resulting adsorbents demonstrate significantly improved uranium loading capacities, with up to 4.5 wt% uranium removal and high distribution coefficients, maintaining performance across multiple cycles of regeneration and exposure to competing ions in seawater.

Implementation Method 1

Radiation-induced grafting of organic phosphates, phosphonates, and phosphoric acids onto polymer fibers to create adsorbents with enhanced uranium adsorption capabilities

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRadiation-induced grafting: Photopolymerisation

Implementation Method 2

The resulting adsorbents demonstrate significantly improved uranium loading capacities, with up to 4.5 wt% uranium removal and high distribution coefficients

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAdsorption: Adsorption

Data Source

PatentUS10441940B2Polymers grafted with organic phosphorous compounds for extracting uranium from solutions

Publication Date: 2019.10.15 UNIV OF MARYLAND

AI summary

Complexing or chelating agents that offer strong, selective bonding with uranium as well as a broad pH range of effectiveness, specifically including the pH range around 8.2, together with the acrylic double bonds required for radiation-induced grafting on polymers to remove uranium from a solution such as seawater. The novel adsorbing species are phosphorus-containing molecules, in particular organic phosphates, phosphonates and phosphoric acids. Organic phosphorus compounds, for example, organic phosphates, phosphonates, and phosphoric acids, are attached to polymer fibers to form fibers, fiber fabrics or membranes that are effective, or show activity, in uranium adsorption.