Uranium and lithium extraction from seawater: challenges and opportunities for a sustainable energy future

Abstract

Our analysis of the current literature shows that advances in extractive technologies for U/Li recovery lie at the intersection between molecular simulation, nanotechnology and materials science, electrochemistry, and membrane engineering.

Hydrogel-Based Interfacial Solar-Driven Evaporation: Essentials and Trails

“…(1) There is still scope for enhancement in the evaporation performance of hydrogel-based ISDE systems in actual environments. Currently, the optimal evaporation performance of solar evaporators is mainly measured in stable laboratory conditions, while laboratory testing conditions are not representative of performance in natural sunlight that exhibits a longer wavelength and lower intensity [ 67 , 68 , 103 ]. How to intelligently adapt to changing environments to maintain sustained high evaporation performance is a pressing issue.…”

“…Indeed, given the complex biogeochemical nature of real seawater, hydrogel-based ISDE systems encounter significant challenges beyond high salinity. These include a considerable presence of competing metal ions and a notable propensity for marine biofouling [ 103 ]. Despite the long road ahead to efficiently extract clean water from real seawater environments, researchers persistently work to surmount these environmental hurdles.…”

Analysis of the Ecological Footprint from the Extraction and Processing of Materials in the LCA Phase of Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…To improve environmental protection, it would be good, first of all, to increase the efficiency of battery recycling from the point of commercial use [94], in which the recycling of battery materials, e.g., through regeneration, is one of the cheapest and cleanest approaches [95]. Lithium-ion batteries contain many metals whose recovery and disposal will not only help reduce environmental pollution but will also effectively help slow down the loss of resources and increase the social and economic benefits of metals, their recovery, and disposal [96]. It is also important, for example, to increase protection against overcharging in the case of high-capacity and high-power batteries [97], to popularize pre-heating techniques, mainly in relation to lowtemperature charging that causes the deposition of lithium, which after entering the separator may even cause an explosion [98], and to develop improved thermal stability and low humidity [99][100][101][102].…”

Construction of hierarchical porous and polydopamine/salicylaldoxime functionalized zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 via controlled etching for uranium adsorption

“…In order to alleviate the environmental problems caused by the extensive use of fossil fuels and to meet the growing global energy demand, nuclear energy has received significant attention because of its high efficiency, clean, and environmental protection characteristics. 1–3 As a basic raw material for the nuclear industry, uranium plays a crucial role 4,5 whereas natural uranium ore reserves on land are limited and less cost-effective to mine, leading to severe land-based uranium fuel shortage in less than a hundred years based on current consumption speed. 6,7 Surprisingly, the abundance of uranium in oceans, nearly 4.5 billion tons, provides the possibility of solving the current environmental concerns and energy crisis.…”