Anion-Exchange Membrane Electrolysis for Efficient Uranium Extraction from Saline Wastewater

Recovery of uranium from residual spent fuel dissolution liquor in nuclear power plants is economically and environmentally desirable. While electrochemical extraction offers a greener alternative to solvent-based methods like the PUREX (plutonium uranium reduction extraction) process, it has been limited to batch processing of non-saline waters. Here, a high-performance ZrN/copper foam (ZrN/CF) electrode is presented that enables a continuous electroextraction-purification-reuse (EE-PR) process, achieving >98% pure UO₂ directly from saline wastewater for direct reuse as nuclear fuel. An anion-exchange membrane (AEM) flow cell for uranium extraction is introduced, integrating it with a ZrN/CF electrode to achieve complete uranium removal within two hours - an unprecedented efficiency in marine environments. Scalability assessments and techno-economic analysis (TEA) confirm the environmental and economic feasibility of this approach, with the estimated total cost for extracting uranium comparable to the current market price. As the global adoption of nuclear energy accelerates, this process offers a transformative solution for sustainable uranium recovery and resource management.