Uranium fuel as byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production

摘要

The world has substantial unconventional energy resources in phosphate rock deposits and sea water which contain vast amounts of dilute uranium. The South Mediterranean region, as a remnant of the ancient Tethys Sea, is endowed with large supplies of uranium fuel that is embedded in the phosphate rock being processed into fertilizer. Establishing a phosphate fertilizer industry that uses the appropriate processes would allow extraction of the uranium as a byproduct. Uranium from phosphorites constitutes a large and long term resource base compared with the short-lived high concentration ores which have been depleted in the deposits exploited for export such as at the Gabon Republic. An increased price of U₃O₈ would make its extraction from phosphate rocks potentially economical. What makes this feasible is that the fuel cost is a minor part of the nuclear electricity price, making it possible to exploit higher cost ores, particularly for the purpose of long term energy independence and security for countries desiring to produce future nuclear electricity and desalted water. In addition, the development and implementation of more efficient extraction methods such as the liquid membrane approach may also make it more economical. This would turn the region along the ancient Tethys Sea shores into a future nuclear energy fuel source as well as a food energy source as fertilizer for the world. The extraction of uranium as a byproduct in the wet phosphoric acid production process is discussed. The Liquid Membrane (LM) technology, even though not industrially developed, is identified as possessing the potential to efficiently separate and concentrate uranium from process phosphoric acid and is thought to be superior to the solvent extraction methods.