Separation of Radioactive Elements from Rare Earth Element-Bearing Minerals

Abstract

Rare earth elements (REE), originally found in various low-grade deposits in the form of different minerals, are associated with gangues that have similar physicochemical properties. However, the production of REE is attractive due to their numerous applications in advanced materials and new technologies. The presence of the radioactive elements, thorium and uranium, in the REE deposits, is a production challenge. Their separation is crucial to gaining a product with minimum radioactivity in the downstream processes, and to mitigate the environmental and safety issues. In the present study, different techniques for separation of the radioactive elements from REE are reviewed, including leaching, precipitation, solvent extraction, and ion chromatography. In addition, the waste management of the separated radioactive elements is discussed with a particular conclusion that such a waste stream can be employed as a valuable co-product.

Environmental Technologies to Treat Rare Earth Element Pollution: Principles and Engineering

“…Several studies suggest that the efficacy and selectivity of REE may be improved by adjusting the most important factor, pH (García et al, 2020). Likewise, bacterial cell surfaces can also be engineered to enhance selectivity (Park et al, 2016).…”

Recovery and Recycling of Valuable Metals

“…Seventeen articles have been published in this Special Issue of Metals, encompassing the fields of mineral processing and extractive metallurgy [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. These articles cover a wide range of topics in the field and provide some ideas for active researchers who are working on the production of valuable metals from primary and secondary resources.…”

Cetylpyridinium Bromide/Polyvinyl Chloride for Substantially Efficient Capture of Rare Earth Elements from Chloride Solution

“…The second process implicates attaching the chelating complex to a support material. For individual REE extraction, various solid-extraction approaches have been conceived using solid supports of distinct types such as activated carbon, clays, SiO 2 , polymeric resins, titanium oxide, and naphthalene [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The extraction of lanthanides from positively acidic wastes has been proposed using a resin, which was developed by a dihexyl succinamic/chloromethylated polymer [ 22 ].…”