The extraction of uranium from groundwaters on iron surfaces

The deposition of uranium on mild-steel surfaces has been characterized using focussed-ion-beam-induced scanning electron microscopy (FIB), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Two main mechanisms for uranium uptake by mild steel have been identified, which are not mutually exclusive but concurrent and may be controlled by the concentration of uranium in solution. Uranium can be removed as U(IV) by reductive precipitation or as U( VI) by incorporation into Fe(III) rust phases.