Novel Membrane and Electrodeposition-Based Separation and Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Combustion Residues

The goal of this Duke University project is to develop and demonstrate bench-scale hydrometallurgical-based technology to separate and concentrate rare earth elements (REEs) from coal fly ash and other coal combustion residues (CCRs). Specific objectives for Phase 1 of this project are to: (1) identify and characterize a representative selection of CCR samples as candidates for REE recovery; (2) evaluate the efficiency of hydrometallurgical acid extraction techniques as a function of major CCR characteristics and extraction conditions; (3) optimize membrane filtration and carbon nanotube-enabled electrochemical deposition techniques for concentration of REEs from CCR extracts; (4) perform a technical and economic feasibility study of the proposed separation methods; and (5) develop an implementation plan for a bench-scale system.

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Recovery of rare earth elements relative to the published reference concentration values for the NIST fly ash standard reference material (SRM 1633c). REEs were extracted using 3 different acid leaching methods

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Novel Membrane and Electrodeposition-based Separation and Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Combustion Residues (March 2017)
Presentation by Heileen Hsu-Kim, Duke University, Project Review Meeting for Crosscutting Research, Gasification Systems, and Rare Earth Elements Research Portfolios.
Novel Membrane and Electrodeposition-Based Separation and Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Combustion Residues (April 2016)
Poster by Heileen Hsu-Kim, Duke University, 2016 NETL Crosscutting Technology Research Review Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA.

Principal Investigator

Heileen Hsu-Kim, Ph.D.

hsukim@duke.edu

Project Benefits

The expected benefits of this project are the development of technologies to recover REEs from a highly abundant waste material (coal combustion residues) and the development of methods to determine the most promising CCR materials for REE recovery. The outcomes will include a new approach for REE extraction that utilizes advanced separation technologies to enable environmentally benign processes relative to conventional approaches that use hazardous chemicals for separations.

Project ID

FE0026952

Website

Duke University

http://duke.edu/