Rare earth element extraction methods and apparatuses

Abstract

A method of extracting a rare earth element from a carbonaceous material deposit utilizing a ligand to capture the rare earth element includes crushing the carbonaceous material deposit to form a carbonaceous material particulate and forming a first pregnant leachate including the carbonaceous material particulate and a ligand. The method further includes extracting the metal impurities via an ion exchange or floatation to form a reduced leachate and forming a second pregnant leachate comprising the reduced leachate and the ligand. The method also includes extracting the rare earth element from the reduced leachate via an ion exchange or floatation, capturing the rare earth element in the binding site of the ligand, and desorbing the rare earth element from the ligand.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.