A green and efficient technology to recover rare earth elements from weathering crusts

风化作用 浸出(土壤学) 稀土 环境科学 尾矿 地球科学 材料科学 地质学 地球化学 土壤科学 土壤水分 冶金
作者
Gaofeng Wang,Jie Xu,Lingyu Ran,Runliang Zhu,Bowen Ling,Xiaoliang Liang,Shichang Kang,Yuanyuan Wang,Jingming Wei,Lingya Ma,Yan-feng Zhuang,Jianxi Zhu,Hongping He
出处
期刊:Nature sustainability [Springer Nature]
卷期号:6 (1): 81-92 被引量:75
标识
DOI:10.1038/s41893-022-00989-3
摘要

Heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) such as Gd–Lu, Sc and Y are irreplaceable metals for a number of critical (including clean) technologies, but they are scarce. Ion-adsorption deposits, which form within weathering crusts, supply more than 95% of the global HREE demand. However, these deposits are currently mined via ammonium-salt-based leaching techniques that are responsible for severe environmental damage and show low recovery efficiency. As a result, the adoption of such techniques is restricted for REE mining, further exacerbating REE scarcity, which in turn could lead to supply chain disruptions. Here we report the design of an innovative REE mining technique, electrokinetic mining (EKM), which enables green, efficient and selective recovery of REEs from weathering crusts. Its feasibility is demonstrated via bench-scale, scaled-up and on-site field experiments. Compared with conventional techniques, EKM achieves ~2.6 times higher recovery efficiency, an ~80% decrease in leaching agent usage and a ~70% reduction in metallic impurities in the obtained REEs. As an additional benefit, the results point to an autonomous purification mechanism for REE enrichment, wherein the separation process is based on the mobility and reactivity diversity between REEs and metallic impurities. Overall, the evidence presented suggests that EKM is a viable mining technique, revealing new paths for the sustainable harvesting of natural resources. Heavy rare earth elements are critical for modern technological applications, including renewable energy technologies, but their extraction can have disastrous environmental impacts. Employing electrokinetic mining techniques can increase recovery efficiency while reducing harmful environmental consequences.
最长约 10秒,即可获得该文献文件

科研通智能强力驱动
Strongly Powered by AbleSci AI
更新
大幅提高文件上传限制,最高150M (2024-4-1)

科研通是完全免费的文献互助平台,具备全网最快的应助速度,最高的求助完成率。 对每一个文献求助,科研通都将尽心尽力,给求助人一个满意的交代。
实时播报
顺心的水之完成签到,获得积分20
刚刚
1+1发布了新的文献求助10
1秒前
liansj发布了新的文献求助10
1秒前
ssy发布了新的文献求助10
1秒前
longjie完成签到,获得积分10
1秒前
1秒前
yangyangyang完成签到,获得积分20
1秒前
ruuuu发布了新的文献求助10
1秒前
我来回收数据完成签到,获得积分10
3秒前
易不毛发布了新的文献求助10
3秒前
lizike完成签到,获得积分10
3秒前
赘婿应助雨纷纷采纳,获得10
4秒前
aero完成签到 ,获得积分10
5秒前
无私语儿完成签到,获得积分20
5秒前
5秒前
Jasper应助科研通管家采纳,获得20
5秒前
852应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
5秒前
orixero应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
5秒前
Lucas应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
5秒前
星辰大海应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
深情安青应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
iNk应助科研通管家采纳,获得20
6秒前
田様应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
英姑应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
彭于晏应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
情怀应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
在水一方应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
CodeCraft应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
完美世界应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
乐乐应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
小蘑菇应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
CipherSage应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
科研小崩豆完成签到,获得积分10
6秒前
香蕉觅云应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
小蘑菇应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
王铭智发布了新的文献求助10
6秒前
大模型应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
6秒前
情怀应助dery采纳,获得10
7秒前
自信晓博完成签到,获得积分10
7秒前
Feny完成签到,获得积分10
8秒前
高分求助中
Sustainability in Tides Chemistry 2800
The Young builders of New china : the visit of the delegation of the WFDY to the Chinese People's Republic 1000
Rechtsphilosophie 1000
Bayesian Models of Cognition:Reverse Engineering the Mind 888
Le dégorgement réflexe des Acridiens 800
Defense against predation 800
A Dissection Guide & Atlas to the Rabbit 600
热门求助领域 (近24小时)
化学 医学 生物 材料科学 工程类 有机化学 生物化学 物理 内科学 纳米技术 计算机科学 化学工程 复合材料 基因 遗传学 催化作用 物理化学 免疫学 量子力学 细胞生物学
热门帖子
关注 科研通微信公众号,转发送积分 3134421
求助须知:如何正确求助?哪些是违规求助? 2785363
关于积分的说明 7771655
捐赠科研通 2440968
什么是DOI,文献DOI怎么找? 1297647
科研通“疑难数据库(出版商)”最低求助积分说明 625023
版权声明 600812