Aqueous Solution Blow Spinning of Seawater‐Stable Polyamidoxime Nanofibers from Water‐Soluble Precursor for Uranium Extraction from Seawater

Abstract

Polyamidoxime (PAO)-based fibers are recognized as one of the most promising adsorbents for industrial-scale extraction of uranium from seawater. The spinning of PAO is usually processed in environmentally unfriendly organic solvents, which cause serious environmental and cost concerns in industrial-scale manufacturing. In this work, an aqueous solution blow spinning (ASBS) strategy is developed for large-scale fabrication of seawater-stable polyamidoxime/alginate nanofibers (PAO/ Alg NFs) from water-soluble PAO precursor solution. The as-spun PAO/Alg NFs are ready to be used for uranium adsorption after simple immersion in calcium chloride solution for crosslinking. The 3D porous architecture, flexibility, and strength of nanofibers are well maintained as the inevitable shrinkage and degeneration accompanied by traditional "alkaline-heat activation" post treatment are completely avoided. A high adsorption capacity of 892.77 and 8.42 mg-U g −1 NFs is achieved in uranium spiked seawater and 8 tons of nonspiked natural seawater, respectively. Taking advantage of the simplicity, low cost, and industrially scalable features, this novel ASBS approach shows great potential for industrial-scale production of PAO-based nanofiber adsorbent with high capacity and good mechanical strength for uranium recovery from natural seawater and industrial wastewater.

Synthesis of Uranium Single Atom from Radioactive Wastewater for Enhanced Water Dissociation and Hydrogen Evolution

“…[1][2][3] At present, the uranium in radioactive wastewater is generally treated by the series of extraction, solidification, and landfill, inducing the massive abandonment of uranium resource. [4][5][6][7] In another aspect, uranium has a variety of valences ranging from +3 to +6 because radioactive wastewater was deposited on the MoS 2 nanosheets with precise mass loading and high selectivity for the common coexisting ions. In this case, the uranium was distributed on the sulfur edge (S-edge) sites and defect sites of MoS 2 in the existence form of U(IV) single atoms.…”

Mass Production of Ultrafine Fibers by a Versatile Solution Blow Spinning Method

“…In addition, the type of collector is diverse, including porous cages , (Figure a,c), rollers , (Figure b), and conveyors , (Figure d). The flexible spinning mode of SBS makes it possible to obtain various forms of fiber materials, including sponges (Figure a), mats (Figure b), papers (Figure c), and films (Figure d) …”

“…(b) Digital image of a nanofiber mat. Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright 2020 John Wiley and Sons.…”

“…Copyright 2018 John Wiley and Sons. (g)–(i) Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright 2020 John Wiley and Sons.…”

Solution Blow Spinning (SBS): A Promising Spinning System for Submicron/Nanofibre Production

“…Cryogenic solution blow spinning is another type of modification developed for producing 3D macroporous scaffold [104]. An aqueous solution blow spinning (ASBS) method is designed for the fabrication of seawater-stable polyamidoxime/alginate nanofibres on a large scale in order to extract uranium from seawater [105]. However, there are still huge scopes of work needed in order to enable the incorporation of different types of modifications in the basic SBS setup for producing better quality nanofibrous mats along with the optimization of process parameters.…”