Long-term perspective of nuclear energy supply using uranium extracted from seawater

Uotani, Masaki*; Shimizu, Takao*; Tamada, Masao

The present paper describes the current technology of uranium recovery from seawater by using radiation-induced graft-adsorbent and the utilization scenario of collected uranium from the viewpoint of long-term perspective of nuclear energy demand in Japan. The several thousand tons of uranium will be required in the latter half of 21st century in Japan, even if the plutonium is practically used in fast breeder reactors (FBRs). This demand of uranium can be supplied by the uranium recovered from seawater if the recovery cost is reasonable. In conclusion, the utilization of uranium from seawater will be able to play an essential role of providing enough time to develop safe and economical FBRs.