Toward the Circular Economy of Rare Earth Elements: A Review of Abundance, Extraction, Applications, and Environmental Impacts

Dang, Duc Huy; Thompson, Karen A.; Ma, Lan; Nguyễn, Hồng Quân; Luu, Son Tung; Duong, Minh Thao Nguyen; Kernaghan, Ashlyn

doi:10.1007/s00244-021-00867-7

Cited by 43 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Rare earth elements (REEs), a class of trace metals with similar physicochemical properties, have attracted increasing attention due to their applicability in fields such as agriculture (e.g., lanthanum and cerium in corn and mungbean cultivation) and industry [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. China also has rich, rare earth mine resources, and it has been found that REEs can enter the human body through air, food, and other sources [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Rare Earth Elements with Passive Smoking among Housewives in Shanxi Province, China

Chen

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Background: Rare earth elements (REEs) are emerging contaminants. Previous studies reported the association between REEs and active smoking, but little is known about the effects of passive smoking on this condition. In China, female passive smoking is widespread, particularly in rural areas. Objective: This study aimed to estimate the relationship between REEs accumulation and passive smoking among rural housewives. Methods: We recruited 385 subjects in Shanxi Province of northern China, of whom 117 housewives were exposed to passive smoking, and 268 were not. We analyzed 15 REEs in the hair of housewives with ICP–MS, including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, and yttrium. Results: The results indicated higher levels of 14 REEs except for Sm in both the univariate and adjusted models among the housewives exposed to passive smoking. The increasing linear trend of adjusted odds ratios of 15 REEs supported their association. The Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models showed that 15 REEs had a significant overall effect, and Eu had a single-exposure effect with passive smoking. Conclusion: We concluded that passive smoking might be associated with increased exposure to REEs among rural housewives.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Rare Earth Elements with Passive Smoking among Housewives in Shanxi Province, China

Chen

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…These characteristics lead to several geochemical applications of REE. For example, once the concentrations of REE in a sample are normalized against appropriate standards (e.g., chondrite, PAAS, and UCC), anomalies in the abundance of one element relative to other REE can be quantitatively assessed and then used, for example, as tracers (Ekoa Bessa et al 2018 ; Ndjigui et al 2013 , 2021 ; Armstrong-Altrin 2020 ; Dang et al 2021 ; Ramos-Vázquez and Armstrong-Altrin 2021a , b ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rare earth elements in surface waters and sediments of the Mgoua watershed, south western Cameroon

et al. 2022

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The concentrations and distribution spectra of 14 stable rare earth elements (REE) were studied for surface waters ( n = 30) and sediments ( n = 30) of the tropical zone Mgoua watershed in southwest of Cameroon. Samples were analyzed using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) method. The ∑REE concentrations of the surface waters vary from 0.11 to 6.60 µg/L with an average value of 1.18 µg/L. This average is 150 times lower than the average values of the Post-Archean Australian Average Shale (PAAS). In the sediments, the concentrations range from 282.12 to 727.67 ppm with an average value of 550.05 ppm, making it 2.5 times higher than the PAAS. Rare earth spectra normalized to PAAS are spread out and show heavy rare earth enrichment; positive Eu anomalies; negative, low, or no Ce anomalies; and a gradual decrease in heavy earths in river and well waters and sediments, but are sawtooth with strong negative Ce anomalies in effluent waters and sediments. A low rare earth fractionation is noted in river and well waters [(La/Yb) N ~ 0.35–1.19], while it is high in effluent waters [(La/Yb) N ~ 0.42–56.99]; a slight depletion of rare earths in all environments [(La/Sm) N ~ 0.69–2.35], as well as a depletion of heavy rare earths [(Gd/Yb) N ~ 0.58–1.94]. In the sediments, the same characteristics are found with elemental ratio values differing slightly [(La/Yb) N ~ 1.15–1.99]; [(La/Sm)N ~ 0.75–1.36]; and [(Gd/Yb) N ~ 1.15–2.01]. This study shows that the Mgoua watershed does not have a high concentration of REE, although in the sediments they are well above the average PASS value while they are insignificant in the waters.

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“…The search for new natural resources of critical metals has encouraged research works about identifying some new available raw materials supply and new strategies for intensive valorization. The recent published reviews are available on such subjects as occurrence, exploration and analysis of the critical lanthanides minerals [4][5][6][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31], as well as the new strategies to bring all these resources in the circular economy [32][33][34][35]. Also, valuable reviews cover different subjects concerning the mobilization of huge deposits residual materials from other large-scale industries, like red mud and other poly-metallic resources [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47], phosphate materials and phospho-gypsum [10-12, 18, 27, 48-51] and the coal and coal ashes [52][53][54][55][56].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, valuable reviews cover different subjects concerning the mobilization of huge deposits residual materials from other large-scale industries, like red mud and other poly-metallic resources [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47], phosphate materials and phospho-gypsum [10-12, 18, 27, 48-51] and the coal and coal ashes [52][53][54][55][56]. Furthermore, some interesting published papers on this subject are relating about researches on the environmental problems encountered in the lanthanide extraction technologies and the realistic ways toward to zero waste, and the end of waste by sustainable solutions [4,33,35,[56][57][58][59][60]. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a rigorous study on the lanthanides concentrations, as well as on the scandium and yttrium content in Sierra Leone bauxite and in the Bayer cycle of manufacturing the aluminum hydroxide dried, milled and classified on particle sizes classes basis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lanthanides as impurities in the Bayer production cycle of the aluminum hydroxide from Sierra Leone bauxite

Kim¹,

Dobra²,

Isopescu³

et al. 2022

RJEEC

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This paper is describing a careful study of the content and distribution of rare elements in the fluid and solid phases involved in dry and classified aluminum hydroxide production through the Bayer process at Alum SA, Tulcea, Romania. The source of rare elements in the Bayer process is the bauxite from Sierra Leone, a particular type of aluminous goethite-lateritic bauxite, not fully studied yet. Rare earth elements are fairly abundant in nature, but their distribution is very large, encompassing hundreds of types of minerals where the rare element appears as minor crystalline and amorphous compounds, solid solutions, or as ions adsorbed on the surface of common natural rocks. This study data show that Sierra Leone bauxite has only a small content in rare elements. Mainly, only the scandium and cerium concentrations (44.84 mg/kg and 11.49 mg/kg in bauxite residue) may reach the expected values required for eventual valorization. On the Bayer cycle, the rare metals enter with bauxite and concentrate in bauxite residues. Solubility of the rare element compounds in the Bayer process fluid phases is close to zero. In the final product, the aluminum hydroxide dried, milled and classified grades, the rare metals appear only as occlusion contaminants.

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Toward the Circular Economy of Rare Earth Elements: A Review of Abundance, Extraction, Applications, and Environmental Impacts

Cited by 43 publications

References 57 publications

Association of Rare Earth Elements with Passive Smoking among Housewives in Shanxi Province, China

Association of Rare Earth Elements with Passive Smoking among Housewives in Shanxi Province, China

Rare earth elements in surface waters and sediments of the Mgoua watershed, south western Cameroon

Lanthanides as impurities in the Bayer production cycle of the aluminum hydroxide from Sierra Leone bauxite

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