Remediation technology for the uranium contaminated environment: a review

Radioactive uranium mining and use is increasing with the development of human society, so the environment is facing increasing radioactive contamination. The remediation technology for the uranium polluted environment is divided into physical, chemical and biological categories. Physical methods are appropriate for small areas of water contaminated by uranium; chemical methods have high efficiency and low cost to remove the uranium, but most are still being in the experimental stage, needing to be popularized in a large scale; bioremediation methods including phytoremediation and microbial remediation are appropriate for large areas of soil and water contaminated by low concentrations of uranium. The methods have small disturbance to the environment and don’t produce secondary pollution. In practical applications, integrated utilization of various remediation methods should be based on environmental conditions in order to remove uranium from contaminated environments efficiently and thoroughly.