Revolutionary Breakthrough: China Extracts Nuclear Uranium from Water, Leaving the World in Awe

International News: China has taken an important leap in the race for nuclear power. It has developed a technology to extract uranium from the salty water of the sea, which is not only very cheap, but also fast and effective. Uranium is the element that is most important for the production of nuclear energy. After this success, China will no longer have to depend on foreign countries for its supply. It will be able to extract uranium from the sea itself, that too in a jiffy. This discovery can take China further ahead in its pace of becoming a nuclear superpower. The maximum number of nuclear reactors in the world are being built in China and this new discovery can give new strength to its nuclear mission.

Vast Uranium in Oceans, Tough to Extract

An estimated 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium is present in the oceans, which is a thousand times more than the uranium obtained from traditional mining. But the problem is that this uranium is present in a very diluted form, which makes extracting it quite challenging. So far scientists have been trying to absorb uranium by dipping it in sea water with a sponge or special polymer. In some methods, it has also been extracted using electrochemical technology, but that was very expensive and energy consuming.

New technology overcomes old challenges

The new method developed by Hunan University's Shuangyin Wang and his team is much better than the traditional electrochemical system. This system has two copper electrodes, one positive and one negative, both of which can attract uranium. It is more effective and cheaper than before. In one experiment, this technique pulled out 100 percent of the uranium from salt water in just 40 minutes, whereas the old sponge-based method could only do this up to 10 percent.

Less cost, more profit

The biggest feature of this technology is its cost. It cost only $83 to extract one kilogram of uranium. In comparison, the same work was done in old physical methods for $205 and in old electrochemical methods for $360. That means China has reduced the cost by four times. Energy consumption was also found to be 1000 times less, due to which this technology can prove beneficial for both the environment and the pocket.

Preparations underway at industrial level

At present, this technology has been tested in the lab and on a small scale. In an experiment conducted in 100 liters of sea water, about 90 percent of uranium could be extracted. If this system is scaled on a large scale, then in the future, extracting uranium from the sea can become an industry. In 2019, a Chinese state-owned nuclear company formed the Seawater Uranium Extraction Technology Innovation Alliance in collaboration with research institutes. Its goal is to build a demo plant by 2035 and start large-scale production by 2050.

China moves towards self-sufficiency in nuclear supplies

Today, China imports most of the uranium for its nuclear reactors from abroad. But if this new technology succeeds, China will no longer have to depend on other countries for uranium. According to the International Energy Agency, by 2030, China could overtake the US and Europe to become the country with the largest nuclear capacity.