System and method for producing critical minerals
AssigneeMicrobeam Technologies, Inc.
InventorsSteven Benson, Alexander Benson
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Abstract
A method of midstream production of Ge and Ga from an REE extraction process is compatible with downstream industrial processes, and may produce Ge and Ga that is 90% pure as oxides, salts, or metals. A method for producing critical minerals includes vaporizing a feedstock comprising the critical minerals; cooling the vaporized feedstock to a condensation temperature of a critical mineral; and capturing the condensed critical mineral. Systems and methods disclosed herein for producing critical minerals are integrated into a rare earth extraction process to co-produce germanium and gallium concentrates.
Claims20
A method of producing critical minerals, the method comprising:
- providing a rare earth element (REE) concentrate feedstock comprising one or more critical minerals, wherein the one or more critical minerals comprises germanium (Ge), gallium (Ga), or a combination thereof;
- vaporizing the one or more critical minerals in the REE concentrate feedstock at a vaporization temperature to provide the one or more critical minerals as a vaporized feedstock;
- condensing the vaporized feedstock on at least one heat transfer surface at a condensation temperature to accumulate one or more critical mineral condensates, wherein the condensation temperature being less than the vaporization temperature, and wherein the one or more critical mineral condensates comprises germanium (Ge), gallium (Ga), or a combination thereof;
- and
- capturing the one or more critical mineral condensates, wherein each of the one or more critical mineral condensates has a purity of at least 50%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.