Recent advances in various adsorbents for the extraction of uranium from saline lakes: A review

As the elementary ingredient of nuclear energy, uranium extraction from saline lakes is crucial for the sustainable development of nuclear energy, which is of great practical significance to achieve carbon neutrality. However, the comprehensive review of uranium extraction from saline lakes was not available. Herein, the synthesis and functionalization of various adsorbents was briefly summarized, then the more details on uranium extraction from saline environments in recent years was reviewed. It is demonstrated that interaction mechanism of U(VI) from saline lakes on various adsorbents contained ion exchange, adsorption and complexation coordination (e.g., interaction of uranyl with amidoxime). Finally, the challenges and prospective of uranium extraction from saline environments were proposed. This review is expected to provide guidance for environmental engineers and material scientists on the actual application of various novel nanomaterials to extract uranium from saline environments.