The Cost of Recovering Uranium from Seawater by a Braided Polymer Adsorbent System

Abstract

This article provides an independent cost estimate for uranium production from seawater through the braid-type adsorbent recovery system proposed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Production costs were developed with standard engineering cost estimation techniques using vendor data and plant design and operational data. The analysis includes life cycle discounted cash flows, economies of scale, and propagation of uncertainties. A reference case based on the Japan Atomic Energy Agency assessment, with a fresh adsorbent capacity of 2 kgU/t ads and 6 recycles, yielded a production cost of $1230/kg uranium with a 95 percent confidence interval of [$1030/kg U, $1430/kg U] when component cost uncertainties alone were considered. Sensitivity studies confirmed that adsorbent capacity, number of recycles, and capacity degradation are major cost drivers. If capacity and number of recycles increases to 6 kg U/t ads and 20, respectively, with no degradation and unchanged adsorbent production costs, the uranium production cost drops to $299/kg U.

Investigation of activated carbon adsorbent electrode for electrosorption-based uranium extraction from seawater

“…This value is significantly higher compared to that of amidoxime-based adsorbent material. The cost of six-cycle usage of amidoxime-based adsorbent materials to extract the same amount of uranium (1200 tons/y) was 397 million USD [42]. If the usage cycle of the activated carbon electrode is increased, the total cost of chemicals and materials is expected to be lower.…”

Evaluation Of Covert Plutonium Production From Unconventional Uranium Sources

“…Cost estimates have been performed on the technology and procedures needed to extract uranium from seawater [12]. The estimates have shown that seawater extraction is considerably more expensive than traditional mining methods.…”

Extraction of uranium from seawater: a few facts

“…After, using point results of better efficiency in terms of grams per kilogram obtained in the laboratory, prices were reduced accordingly and announced between 300 to 600 USD/kgU. More recent cost analyses have been made by the Japanese and also by the American Department of Energy [7,10]. The prices quoted are then between 1,000 and 1,400 USD/kgU.…”

“…The mathematical model is thus used to significantly reduce costs when going from 2 g/kg to 4 and then 6 (the last test presented in 2013 [8,10] had reached 3.3 g/kg in 8 weeks of immersion, 2.6 higher than the previous).…”

“…It is clear that all costs associated with developing and operating these huge facilities have not yet been determined, particularly for the installation, anchoring, and location of these thousands of offshore platforms, and those costs announced are little more than rough, first order estimates. For the more recent cost analyses [7,10] (prices between 1,000 and 1,400 USD/kgU), the initial parameters used are as follows (for a plant that would produce 1,200 tU/year):…”