Article
Chemistry, Applied
Jia Su, Xiangguang Guo, Yun Gao, Shan Wu, Ruigao Xu, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: Ion-absorbed rare earth ores radioactive residues (IREORR) are difficult to dispose of, but they contain relatively high concentrations of REEs, making them a valuable resource. A novel process has been developed for the separation of thorium and recovery of REEs from IREORR hydrochloric acid leachate.
JOURNAL OF RARE EARTHS
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Byung-Moon Jun, Hak-Hyeon Kim, Hojung Rho, Jiwon Seo, Jin-Woo Jeon, Seong-Nam Nam, Chang Min Park, Yeomin Yoon
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive review of precipitation processes for the recovery of rare-earth elements (REEs) and radioactive elements. The optimal recovery performance and precipitation mechanisms are clarified using various characterization approaches. The study also highlights the potential research challenges and complexities associated with the recovery process.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Justine Basque, Janyce Lavoie, Nicolas Reynier, Dominic Lariviere
Summary: A new cloud point extraction (CPE) method using a chelating agent and surfactants was developed for selectively extracting and concentrating thorium from sulfuric acid leachate. The method achieved over 98% thorium extraction and a preconcentration factor of 22. This study is the first to demonstrate CPE's effectiveness in separating Th(IV) from rare earth elements and U in mining leachates.
MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Liqing Li, Chenhao Liu, Hepeng Zhang, Bin Huang, Bing Luo, Chao Bie, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: This study successfully achieved impurities removal and enrichment of rare earth elements in ion-adsorbed type rare earth ore by using specific materials. The method reduces the loss rate of rare earth elements and improves product purity, while also benefiting environmental protection and resource recycling.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Khageshwar Singh Patel, Saroj Sharma, Jyoti Prakash Maity, Pablo Martin-Ramos, Zeljka Fiket, Prosun Bhattacharya, Yanbei Zhu
Summary: Uranium, thorium, and rare earth elements (REEs) are strategically important elements in high and green technology and power generation. The extraction, use, and disposal processes of these elements can lead to elevated concentrations in air, water, soil, and sediments, with potential environmental and toxicological effects. Plants can also accumulate these elements, with some known hyperaccumulators containing high concentrations. Further research is needed to understand the fate and effects of these elements, and alternative methods for their recovery from industrial and mining wastes should be developed.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shuainan Ni, Yun Gao, Guisu Yu, Sijia Zhang, Zhiyuan Zeng, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: In this study, new hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDESs) were used to selectively enrich trace Th from radioactive waste leach solution. These HDESs showed exceptional selectivity for Th extraction, along with high loading capacity and easy stripping. A short flow closed-loop recovery process was developed to efficiently extract Th from the leach solution of radioactive waste residue.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ahmad Nawab, Xinbo Yang, Rick Honaker
Summary: Oxalic acid precipitation is a common step in purifying rare earth elements from concentrated leach solutions, but the presence of contaminants like Al, Fe, and Ca can decrease efficiency. Test results show that increasing oxalic acid concentration and raising solution pH significantly enhance REE precipitation efficiency.
MINERALS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Deniz Talan, Qingqing Huang
Summary: Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial for technology and defense industries, but the environmental impact of rare earth mining has not been thoroughly studied. This review summarizes the environmental consequences of rare earth extraction processes and discusses separation techniques for radioactive materials from rare earths.
MINERALS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yangyang Gao, Lihong Xu, Meng Zhang, Qian Zhang, Zhencong Yang, Jialun Yang, Zhanglian Xu, Ying Lv, Yin Wang
Summary: The oxygen-rich microporous carbon shows ultra-selective extraction capabilities for thorium ions from rare earth elements, with outstanding adsorption performance and potential for high-purity thorium extraction.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jenni Lie, Jhy-Chern Liu
Summary: The study investigated selective recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from spent nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries using a two-stage acid leaching process followed by precipitation at acidic pH. The process involved conventional leaching followed by subcritical water extraction (SWE) using sulfuric acid, achieving 100% leaching efficiency of REEs, Ni, Co, and Mn. Selective precipitation of REEs was then achieved at low pH, resulting in successful recovery of La, Ce, and Nd. This study provides an alternative method for selectively recovering REEs from e-waste.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bharathkumar Thangaraj, Marimuthu Ponram, Suresh Ranganathan, Baskaran Sambath, Ravichandran Cingaram, Sathiyanarayanan Kulathu Iyer, Karthikeyan Natesan Sundaramurthy
Summary: This study presents the design and synthesis of a new chemosensor, DPICDT, for the selective detection of Hg2+ and Cu2+ ions. The binding modes of DPICDT with Cu2+ and Hg2+ ions were determined to be 1:1 using different experimental methods. The detection limits for Cu2+ and Hg2+ were found to be 15.1 nM and 1.17 mu M, respectively.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Chenhao Liu, Hepeng Zhang, Bing Luo, Liqing Li, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: The extraction-precipitation method using N-lauroyl sarcosine as the precipitant shows a specific precipitation ability for rare earth, and a new enrichment process for bastnaesite leachate is developed to effectively remove impurities and reduce energy consumption and carbon emission.
MINERALS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Sait Kursunoglu, Shokrullah Hussaini, Soner Top, Zela Tanlega Ichlas, Hasan Serkan Gokcen, Safak Ozsarac, Muammer Kaya
Summary: The research focused on the production process of mixed rare earth oxide powder from thorium-containing bastnasite ore, demonstrating efficient dissolution of various rare earth elements and thorium under specific conditions.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Sergey V. Ushakov, Qi-Jun Hong, Dustin A. Gilbert, Alexandra Navrotsky, Axel van de Walle
Summary: This paper discusses the solid-state chemistry of thorium and rare earths, focusing on the monoxides and related rocksalt phases. Experimental and computational studies have shown the potential applications of lanthanide monoxides in spintronics and the stability of thorium monoxide under high pressure. New computational results further confirm the stability of thorium monoxide at high pressure and suggest the possibility of synthesizing (Th,Nd)O under specific conditions.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sanaz Mosadeghsedghi, Maziar E. Sauber, Mohammadali Baghbanzadeh, Seyedeh Laleh Dashtban Kenari, Konstantin Volchek, Soha Issa, Saviz Mortazavi
Summary: This study investigates chelation-assisted electrodialysis (ED) as a promising alternative to the conventional solvent extraction (SX) technique for separating light and medium rare earth elements (REE). Experimental results show that the optimized ED system achieved separation factors up to 42, which are 20 times higher than those obtained with the conventional SX process.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Hailan Zhi, Shuainan Ni, Xiang Su, Wenqi Xie, Hepeng Zhang, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: A new extraction-precipitation strategy based on phosphate has been developed for the recovery of rare earth elements from waste nickel-metal hydride batteries. This method eliminates the need for saponification and organic solvents. The novel phosphates, particularly dibenzyl phosphate (DBP), exhibit high precipitation efficiencies for rare earth elements and contribute to improved solid-liquid separation.
JOURNAL OF RARE EARTHS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Gaoshan Yu, Zhiyuan Zeng, Yun Gao, Shuainan Ni, Hepeng Zhang, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: This article studied the separation of aluminum (Al) and rare earth (RE) elements using the carboxylic acid extractant 4-octyloxybenzoic acid (POOA) from ion adsorbed RE ores. The extraction and separation performance of POOA in chloride system was systematically studied by changing parameters such as pH value, temperature, solvent, and saponification degree. The results showed that POOA had a good separation effect on Al and RE, and it achieved better phase separation compared to easily emulsified naphthenic acid. The developed extraction system can be almost completely stripped under the condition of low concentration stripping acid.
JOURNAL OF RARE EARTHS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zeyuan Zhao, Shuainan Ni, Hailan Zhi, Hepeng Zhang, Xiang Su, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: A two-step reduction method was used to prepare the positive charge modified two-step reduced graphene oxide (TS-rGO) membrane, which addressed the issues of water swelling and low ion selectivity of the graphene oxide (GO) membrane. The modification of stable polyamino molecules onto GO enhanced ion selectivity and maintained the stability of the interlayer channel. The TS-rGO membrane exhibited high ion selectivity, high permeability to low-valent ions, and high water flux as a result of the successful modification of positive charge.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Meiqi Zhang, Yijie Yang, Luo Feng, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: A near infrared reflective inorganic pigment YIn1-x-yMnyFexO3 (x/y = 0.1-0.5) was prepared and showed a change in phase and color with the increase of iron content. The black pigment exhibited high near infrared reflectivity and good chemical stability, making it promising for energy conservation applications.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Yun Gao, Jia Su, Chao Bie, Yamin Dong, Zhiyuan Zeng, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: In order to effectively separate yttrium from rare-earth elements, researchers developed a novel ionic liquid [N-1888]-[POPA]. This ionic liquid achieved efficient separation of heavy rare-earth elements and yttrium through ion association, thus avoiding the generation of saponification wastewater. The fractional extraction process based on [N-1888]-[POPA] exhibited satisfying performance, resulting in an increase in yttrium purity from 85.2% to 99.1% through nine extraction stages and six scrubbing stages.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING DATA
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Shuainan Ni, Guisu Yu, Yun Gao, Sijia Zhang, Hao Su, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: This paper reports a novel strategy for separating Al3+ and Gd3+ based on hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (HDES). The results show that HDES can effectively remove Al3+ from GdCl3 solution, with good separation performance and high purity of GdCl3 product.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ditang Mo, Guisu Yu, Zhiyuan Zeng, Shuainan Ni, Sijia Zhang, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: The recovery of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using sec-octylphenoxyacetic acid (CA-12) was investigated in this study. Optimized conditions resulted in a 99% co-extraction rate of nickel, cobalt, and manganese to the organic phase, with only 7% lithium loss. The leaching efficiency of all components in the spent LIBs powder was greater than 95%. After two-stage extraction, the total extraction efficiencies of nickel, cobalt, and manganese reached 99.7%, 99.4%, and 98.45%, respectively. The recovered lithium purity was 97.7% after precipitation with saturated Na2CO3. These results highlight the potential application prospects of CA-12 for the recovery of critical metals from spent LIBs.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shuainan Ni, Yun Gao, Guisu Yu, Sijia Zhang, Zhiyuan Zeng, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: In this study, new hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDESs) were used to selectively enrich trace Th from radioactive waste leach solution. These HDESs showed exceptional selectivity for Th extraction, along with high loading capacity and easy stripping. A short flow closed-loop recovery process was developed to efficiently extract Th from the leach solution of radioactive waste residue.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sijia Zhang, Shuainan Ni, Zhiyuan Zeng, Ditang Mo, Bin Huang, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: In this study, the synergistic effect between lauric acid (LA) and primary amine N1923 (RNH2) was investigated for the saponification of acidic extractant. The LA-RNH2 extraction system showed high extraction and separation performance in recovering Sm and Co from SmCo magnets. This research provides a novel strategy for the saponification of acidic extractants and has potential applications in metal recovery processes.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Hao Su, Shuainan Ni, Chenhao Liu, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: In this study, four fatty acid-based ionic liquids were synthesized to remove aluminum impurities in ion-adsorption rare earth ores. One specific ionic liquid, [methyltrioctylammonium][neodecanoate], showed better extraction and separation performance for aluminum. A process combining fractional extraction and extraction-precipitation was developed to remove impurity ions in the leaching solution of magnesium sulfate and achieve high concentration rare earth chloride product with high purity.
MINERALS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhiyuan Zeng, Yun Gao, Shuainan Ni, Sijia Zhang, Xinyu Fu, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: This study developed novel ionic liquids (ILs) and evaluated their effectiveness in recovering thorium (Th) and rare earth (RE) from waste residue leaching solution (WRLS). The difunctionalization of the ILs cation provided more coordination sites and achieved higher extraction and separation performance. [OB2DTA][CA12] was capable of extracting 99.0% of Th and only 0.4% of RE, with a Th/RE separation factor of 22114. This research provides a recyclable separation strategy for the treatment of ion-adsorbed rare earth ore (IATREO) waste residue, simplifying the separation process and reducing chemical consumption.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bin Huang, Sijia Zhang, Shuainan Ni, Chunlin Ye, Youlin Wang, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: YCl3 was used as a leaching agent to recover RE from ion-adsorbed RE minerals, demonstrating excellent potential to replace (NH4)2SO4. The leaching efficiency decreased with the order Y3+>Mg2+>NH4+ and increased with the concentration of the leachant. At a concentration of 0.01 mol/L, YCl3 achieved a higher leaching rate compared to Mg2SO4. The optimum conditions for column leaching were determined to achieve a maximum leaching efficiency of non-Y RE as 100%.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bing Luo, Shuainan Ni, Xinyu Fu, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: This paper investigates the synergistic extraction performance of Scandium using a mixture of Cyanex572 and Cyanex923 in sulfuric acid medium. The best synergistic effect is achieved when the pH value of the aqueous phase is 2 and the mole fraction of Cyanex572 is 0.5, with a synergy coefficient value R of 4.78. The extracted complex is determined to be [Sc(SO4)0.5(HL2)2B2] by slope analysis. The loaded Scandium can be stripped within two times by 2 mol/L sulfuric acid with a stripping efficiency of 99.4 %. This synergistic system demonstrates potential application in the separation of Scandium from the leachate of laterite nickel ore.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuainan Ni, Yun Gao, Guisu Yu, Sijia Zhang, Zhiyuan Zeng, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: This study presents a strategy for the efficient separation of yttrium (Y) from heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) using a ternary hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (HDES) extraction. The HDESs prepared exhibit simple preparation, no purification requirement, low viscosity, low water solubility, and low toxicity. Among the tested HDESs, the DL : oleic acid (OA) : BEA-based HDES with OA as the hydrogen bond donor showed good extraction ability, higher saturation loading capacity, and better phase separation stability for Y from HREEs. The loaded HDES can be easily stripped and remain stable during multiple regeneration cycles, indicating its potential for sustainable rare earth separation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chao Bie, Shan Wu, Hepeng Zhang, Shuainan Ni, Yun Gao, Xiaoqi Sun
Summary: In this study, a novel oil-soluble oxamic acid extractant was synthesized to separate rare earth (RE) and thorium (Th) from radioactive waste residue. The extractant exhibited high selectivity and good oil solubility, making it suitable for extraction under low acidity. Through multiple extraction and scrubbing processes, the concentration of Th in the radioactive slag was reduced and the recovery of RE was high.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lars odegaard Bentsen, Narada Dilp Warakagoda, Roy Stenbro, Paal Engelstad
Summary: This study investigates uncertainty modeling in wind power forecasting using different parametric and non-parametric methods. Johnson's SU distribution is found to outperform Gaussian distributions in predicting wind power. This research contributes to the literature by introducing Johnson's SU distribution as a candidate for probabilistic wind forecasting.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xing Liu, Qiuchen Wang, Yunhao Wen, Long Li, Xinfang Zhang, Yi Wang
Summary: This study analyzes the characteristics of process parameters in three lean gas ethane recovery processes and establishes a prediction and multiobjective optimization model for ethane recovery and system energy consumption. A new method for comparing ethane recovery processes for lean gas is proposed, and the addition of extra coolers improves the ethane recovery. The support vector regression model based on grey wolf optimization demonstrates the highest prediction accuracy, and the multiobjective multiverse optimization algorithm shows the best optimization performance and diversity in the solutions.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Cairong Song, Haidong Yang, Xian-Bing Meng, Pan Yang, Jianyang Cai, Hao Bao, Kangkang Xu
Summary: The paper proposes a novel deep learning-based prediction framework, aTCN-LSTM, for accurate cooling load predictions. The framework utilizes a gate-controlled multi-head temporal convolutional network and a sparse probabilistic self-attention mechanism with a bidirectional long short-term memory network to capture both temporal and long-term dependencies in the cooling load sequences. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method, which can serve as an effective guide for HVAC chiller scheduling and demand management initiatives.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhe Chen, Xiaojing Li, Xianli Xia, Jizhou Zhang
Summary: This study uses survey data from the Loess Plateau in China to evaluate the impact of social interaction on the adoption of soil and water conservation (SWC) technology by farmers. The study finds that social interaction increases the likelihood of farmers adopting SWC, and internet use moderates this effect. The positive impact of social interaction on SWC adoption is more pronounced for farmers in larger villages and those who join cooperative societies.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chenghua Zhang, Yunfei Yan, Kaiming Shen, Zongguo Xue, Jingxiang You, Yonghong Wu, Ziqiang He
Summary: This paper reports a novel method that significantly improves combustion performance, including heat transfer enhancement under steady-state conditions and adaptive stable flame regulation under velocity sudden increase.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
