Methods for the recovery of rare earth elements
AssigneeOhio State Innovation Foundation
InventorsChin-Min Cheng, Tarunjit Butalia, Jeffrey Bielicki, John Lenhart
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Abstract
Provided herein are methods recovering rare earth elements (REEs) from a solution containing one or more REEs. These methods can comprise contacting an aqueous solution comprising one or more rare earth elements (REEs) with a solid sequestration media (e.g., a stabilized flue gas desulfurization (sFGD) material, or a sludge by-product from a water treatment process) to provide a REE-containing solid feedstock; and contacting the solid feedstock with an extraction solution to generate a rare earth element (REE) solution.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- contacting an aqueous solution comprising one or more rare earth elements (REEs) with a solid sequestration media to provide an REE-containing solid feedstock;
- and
- contacting the solid feedstock with an extraction solution to generate a rare earth element (REE) solution;
- wherein the extraction solution comprises a chelating agent and a dithionite reducing agent.
A method for remediating an abandoned mine site, the method comprising:
- constructing a fixed bed comprising a solid sequestration media in proximity to a mine emitting acid mine drainage (AMD)
- fluidly connecting the fixed bed to the mine such that AMD emitted from the mine flows through the fixed bed;
- burying the fixed bed;
- allowing the AMD to contact the solid sequestration media within the fixed bed to provide a rare earth element-containing (REE-containing) solid feedstock within the fixed bed;
- removing the REE-containing solid feedstock from the fixed bed;
- and
- contacting the REE-containing solid feedstock with an extraction solution to generate a rare earth element (REE) solution;
- and
- separating the REEs from the REE solution to form a rare earth oxide (REO) feedstock.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.