Unusual seeding mechanism for enhanced performance in solid-phase magnetic extraction of Rare Earth Elements.

ABSTRACT: Due to the increasing demand of Rare Earth Elements (REE or RE), new and more efficient techniques for their extraction are necessary, suitable for both mining and recycling processes. Current techniques such as solvent extraction or solid adsorbents entail drawbacks such as using big volumes of harmful solvents or limited capacity. Hybrid nanoadsorbents based on SiO₂ and highly stable γ-Fe₂O₃-SiO₂ nanoparticles, proved recently to be very attractive for adsorption of REE, yet not being the absolute key to solve the problem. In the present work, we introduce a highly appealing new approach in which the nanoparticles, rather than behaving as adsorbent materials, perform as inducers of crystallization for the REE in the form of hydroxides, allowing

SUBMITTER: Polido Legaria E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5339825 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature