초록 ▼

육상광물자원의 고갈에 의한 세계적 원자재난과 자원 보유국들의 자원 무기화 경향에 대응하여 무한한 자원의 보고인 해수로부터 지속가능한 해양용존자원 추출 기술을 적극 개발함으로써 수입 의존도가 높은 국가 전략금속자원의 대체 공급원 확보가 시급하며 아울러 이를 위한 해양용존자원 추출기술의 효율적 연구추진과 조기 실용화를 위한 상세 기술검토 및 성장동력화 방안의 수립이 요구된다. 해양용존자원 개발 계획은 과학기술-산업 간의 상호 연관된 부가가치사슬의 형성계획이 요구되는 바, 해당 분야의 전문가의 의견을 반영하여 수립되었다.
리튬분야는

육상광물자원의 고갈에 의한 세계적 원자재난과 자원 보유국들의 자원 무기화 경향에 대응하여 무한한 자원의 보고인 해수로부터 지속가능한 해양용존자원 추출 기술을 적극 개발함으로써 수입 의존도가 높은 국가 전략금속자원의 대체 공급원 확보가 시급하며 아울러 이를 위한 해양용존자원 추출기술의 효율적 연구추진과 조기 실용화를 위한 상세 기술검토 및 성장동력화 방안의 수립이 요구된다. 해양용존자원 개발 계획은 과학기술-산업 간의 상호 연관된 부가가치사슬의 형성계획이 요구되는 바, 해당 분야의 전문가의 의견을 반영하여 수립되었다.
리튬분야는 실용화 단계에 접어든 만큼, 기술상용화에 주력하는 로드맵이 필요하며 마그네슘분야는 제품화가 가능한 고순도 추출기술에 주력하면서 붕소추출 기술을 동시에 연구하고, 우라늄분야는 기초연구가 취약하여, 스트론튬 등의 기타자원의 추출기술에 대한 연구를 같이 추진할 필요가 있다. 무엇보다도 기술복잡성,연구규모, 선진국과의 기술격차, 그리고 수년간 연구해 온 리튬분야의 경험을 활용하기 위한 구조 등 각각의 컨틴전시와 시너지를 감안할 때, 복합 센터 체제가 요구된다고 하겠다.

Abstract ▼

Introduction
Seawater contains tremendous amounts of various metallic and nonmetallic elements. At present sodium, potassium, magnesium, and bromine are commercially redeemed from sea water. The economic recovery of Rb, Sr, Li, I, Mg, U and V from sea water could be realized in future.
Recentl

Introduction
Seawater contains tremendous amounts of various metallic and nonmetallic elements. At present sodium, potassium, magnesium, and bromine are commercially redeemed from sea water. The economic recovery of Rb, Sr, Li, I, Mg, U and V from sea water could be realized in future.
Recently, researches on Li and U are active due to their potential for various usage. Li draws attention as a candidate resource for nuclear fusion and has been increasingly used as battery material of portable electronic devices and electric vehicle. U is a strategic material used as nuclear fuel in nuclear power generation. This mineral is important since the demand for it is expected to outgrow the supply of U from other terrestrial resources as early as by year 2020.
Therefore, Korea, as a country of poor terrestrial resources, needs to further develop technology to extract valuable minerals from resources of sea which is considered as treasure house of infinite resources.
Equally important as crucial marine minerals are Mg and B in the center attention. Strong as steel, Mg weighs 40% less than aluminum, along which its other diverse characteristics such as intensity, durability, shock resistance, and moldability make it widely adopted. Mg is the third structural material widely used, following steel and aluminum. According to US Magnesium, around 37% of Mg was used to produce beverage cans of Mg- aluminum alloy; 32% die casting for parts of autos, air crafts, power generators, computes and electronics; 16% for desulfurization of iron and steel; and the rest for other usages. Boron can be used for over 300 purposes, five of which account for almost two-thirds of world's supply of boron. Moreover, extensive researches are being conducted for further purposes. In terms of boron consumption, there has been changes in the consumption pattern. In other words, selective ores have been continuously decreased in production due to the possible containing of arsenic. Instead, consumers have turned to boric acid and borax which appear to contain less harmful substances.
Therefore. it is essential that Korea heavily dependent on imported natural resources secure on a stable manner metal resources from the sea resources.
Objective of R&D
The objective of R&D is to design a process to develop and secure recovery technology and system to extract uranium, magnesium, lithium and boron dissolved in sea water.
- Development of recovery method to obtain valuable metal from sea water
- Utilization and commercialization of technology extracting valuable resources from sea water
Project Contents The goal is to develop a most suitable extract method. There have been a wide variety of methods having been adopted so far to extract resources from sea water: coprecipitation, flotation, solvent extraction, adsorptive bio, ion exchange and absorption. Coprecipitation method uses aluminum compounds and obtain lithium metals by precipitation; solvent extraction dissolves non-solubility organic solvents in sea water and selectively extract metal ionsand dissolves, which has been in use since the mid-18th century but found it difficult to separate and recover solvents or coprecipitation materials resulting in not being able to commercialize resources with low concentration; and recently developed adsorptive bio combines uranium and lithium-ion with aerobic enzymes or microorganisms, but the high price of strains and the limit of metals to be extracted make the method unaffordable
Consequently, there has been quite investment made to R&D in ion exchange resin and adsorbents for usability, adsorbility, and recyclability, and their utilization is expected in the nearest future in countries like Japan.
It is, therefore, desirable that theoretical researches and applications of each method should be made to fulfill R&D goals.
Strategies & Systems to Be Taken
Organization & Operation of Project Implementation Seawater Dissolved Resources Research Corps has the following goals.
First, to create cooperation with researchers from existing research institutes for accurate analysis, in an attempt to overcome vulnerability in research fundamentals,
Second, to assess performance by phase - basic, application, commercialization, and to realize research in business in the near term in multi-faceted structure,
Third, to establish a competitive R&D structure and adopt advanced foreign technology for enhanced research efficiency.
The project is carried out by operating four research centers: lithium, magnesium, uranium and previous research-based, with each conducting researches and managing performances for early realization.
Executive Strategy The main strategy to execute the project is to operate the research corps in a goal-oriented system by connecting with land and maritime development policy so that it contributes to national needs. Based on the cooperative structure between industry, university, research, and government, technology development and dissemination are closely linked; and therefore, industrialization of the research results is expected to be made focusing on market principles. Also, management by objectives (MBO) should be established to be applied to complete utilization through close cooperation between businesses, and unique research fields should be created commensurating the characteristics of industry, university and research, drawing high efficiency through comprehensive integration of research results.
Expected Results & Utilization
Expected Results Recovery technology of resource extraction from sea water has an immense impact on national projects in fields: development and securing of natural resources, low carbon-based green growth in lieu of land-based development technology, enhancement of industrial competitiveness, and VAT and job creation through new market exploration. Other results may include shrunk imports and reversed exports of natural resources.
Regarding corporation methods, metals recovery technology from companies will be used. Through the construction of a maritime plant, extraction lines will be adopted. In addition, other metallic resources may be obtained from bittern which is discarded after extracting sodium and magnesium from sea water. Also, desalination equipment can be used for utilization of recovery as well as the utilization of removing micro heavy metal contents.
Volume and Securing of R&D Resources
Expense Execution Around 10 billion won should be funded by the government annually. On the corporation phase, however, investments from private sector may be made to construct production lines. Around 5% of total research funds should be used for overseas research to supplement weak fields; and 10% for others including support for future technology and business creation through contests in order to attract competition among research projects, promote new technology, and foster young scientists.