Uranium is not the only element/mineral of interest that is dissolved in seawater. Research has been done on this stuff before. I'm glad it's being done, but unfortunately this will remain unviable when compared to open-pit or underground mining (even accounting for the risk of depending on foreign suppliers + transportation costs of importing).<p>The biggest reserves are in Canada and Australia, not really countries we have to worry about cutting off supply anytime soon. We have bigger strategic mineral concerns (REMs and China)<p>Cool tech, won't leave the lab. Just like the billion "metal-ion/air/water" batteries that get shilled non-stop.
Related:<p>Nuclear Power Worldwide: Development Plans in Newcomer Countries Negligible<p>* An analysis of current decommissioning and new construction projects reveals a downward trend in nuclear power worldwide<p>* Only four newcomer countries are currently constructing nuclear power plants and all are plagued by financial difficulties and delays<p>* An econometric analysis suggests that countries classified as potential newcomers tend to be less democratic<p>* On the supply side, the dominant driving force is the geopolitical interests of countries that export nuclear power<p>* Within the relevant international organizations, Germany should work to ensure that no support is given to the construction of nuclear power plants in newcomer countries<p><a href="https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.742611.de/dwr-20-11-1.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.74261...</a>
Aluminum is 1000 times more abundant in seawater than (edit)uranium. Lithium is about 60 times as abundant. With uranium at $32/lb, aluminum at $0.75/lb and lithium at $6/lb it seems that aluminum and lithium would reach commercial viability first.<p>Magnesium has already made it with significant production coming from seawater.
“Concentrations are tiny, on the order of a single grain of salt dissolved in a liter of water,” said Yi Cui, a materials scientist and co-author of a paper in Nature Energy. “But the oceans are so vast that if we can extract these trace amounts cost effectively, the supply would be endless.”<p>That's a lot more uranium than I would have guessed. According to the top few google results, it's about 3 milligrams per cubic meter.
Great, now can anyone build a reactor that will be cheaper than solar + batteries?<p>Problems like these make me think of jetpacks or flying cars. It turns out that the future isn't what we thought it would be from the sci-fi ideas of the mid 20th century. It's a lot cooler in some ways, and far far more boring in others. (I want my jetpack)
> How to extract uranium from seawater for nuclear power<p>“Concentrations are tiny, on the order of a single grain of salt dissolved in a liter of water”<p>This sounds way to much, I can boil a litre of water in the kitchen and have a grain of Uranium?<p>From Yahoo answers<p>Grain of Salt - 2.25 mg (.00008 ounces).<p>Uranium - 3 micrograms per liter (0.00000045 ounces per gallon)<p>Yahoo answers didn't have how much energy 3 micrograms of Uranium can create.<p>I'd guess if we could get a way to extract it with an algae or something, the energy(sunlight) it uses would be better off stored and burned.
Anyone who comes with Thorium reactor, India will gladly supply their Thorium for your power requirement provided you give them working Thorium reactor.