The pilot-scale experiment indicated that the self-supported flower-like nano-Mg(OH)2 had great potential to recycle REEs from industrial wastewater.”
Many of today’s technologies, from hybrid car batteries to flat-screen televisions, rely on materials known as rare earth elements (REEs) that are in short supply, but scientists are reporting development of a new method to recycle them from wastewater. The process, which is described in a study in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, could help alleviate economic and environmental pressures facing the REE industry.
Zhang Lin and colleagues point out that REEs, such as terbium — a silvery metal so soft it can be cut with a knife — behave in unique ways as super magnets, catalysts or superconductors. That makes them irreplaceable in many of today’s tech gadgets and machines. Market watchers expect global demand to rise to at least 185,000 tons by 2015. Although some of these elements are actually plentiful, others are indeed in short supply. According to reports, terbium and dysprosium supplies may only last another 30 years. Attempts so far to recycle them from industrial wastewater are expensive or otherwise impractical. A major challenge is that the elements are typically very diluted in these waters. The team knew that a nanomaterial known as nano-magnesium hydroxide, or nano-Mg(OH)2, was effective at removing some metals and dyes from wastewater. So they set out to understand how the compound worked and whether it would efficiently remove diluted REEs, as well.
To test their idea, they produced inexpensive nano-Mg(OH)2 particles, whose shapes resemble flowers when viewed with a high-power microscope. They showed that the material captured more than 85 percent of the REEs that were diluted in wastewater in an initial experiment mimicking real-world conditions. “Recycling REEs from wastewater not only saves rare earth resources and protects the environment, but also brings considerable economic benefits,” the researchers state. “The pilot-scale experiment indicated that the self-supported flower-like nano-Mg(OH)2 had great potential to recycle REEs from industrial wastewater.”
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Rare earth element recycling
- Ionic selects WSP to deliver feasibility study for UK magnet recycling facility
ASX-listed Ionic Rare Earths’ 100%-owned subsidiary Ionic Technologies International, based in Belfast, in the UK, has progressed the delivery of a feasibility study for a commercial magnet recycling ...
- Ionic Rare Earths appoints Canadian consultancy to manage feasibility study at UK magnet recycling facility
The start of Ionic’s feasibility study for its magnet rare earths recycling facility in Belfast, UK is edging closer with the appointment of service partner WSP Global.
- Ionic Rare Earths Limited (ASX:IXR) WSP Global To Manage Magnet Recycling Feasibility Study
The Board of Ionic Rare Earths Limited (ASX:IXR) (OTCMKTS:IXRRF) is pleased to advise that Ionic Technologies International Ltd (Ionic Technolog ...
- Geomega receives $2 million from NGen for rare earth element recycling plant
Montréal-based Geomega Resources has received $2.04 million from Next Generation Manufacturing Canada ( NGen) for the construction of a rare earths recycling demonstration plant in St-Hubert, Québec.
- A new map points at the impacts of rare earth elements
A map created by the Debt Observatory in Globalization in collaboration with the EJAtlas of Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), the ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Rare earth element recycling
[google_news title=”” keyword=”rare earth element recycling” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Recycling valuable materials
- Innovative Graphene Method Redefines Concrete Recycling
Researchers from Flinders University and The University of Melbourne are pioneering a groundbreaking method to transform discarded concrete in ...
- PolyWrap ramps up film recycling efforts
Wisconsin-based company says forecasts call for plastic film and bags to remain part of the waste and recycling stream for the foreseeable future.
- Tassie’s plastic recycling capacity boosted
An extra 1700 tonnes of plastic waste will be diverted from Tasmanian landfill each year thanks to a $1.26 million co-investment from the Australian and Tasmanian governments.
- Mattress recycling: Should we shred our bed?
Over six million mattresses are thrown away each year, but only 24 per cent are recycled. Innovation in mattress recycling equipment could offer the solution., UNTHA’s new Global Marketing Director, ...
- Curbside recycling in unincorporated Polk County being eliminated in 2024
District 1 County Commissioner, George Lindsey, said curbside recycling is counterproductive in unincorporated Polk County. According to him, the market to sell recycled goods has dried up and too ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Recycling valuable materials
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Recycling valuable materials” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
