PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Recycling valuable materials used in TVs, car batteries, cell phones

2013-10-30
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
Recycling valuable materials used in TVs, car batteries, cell phones Many of today's technologies, from hybrid car batteries to flat-screen televisions, rely on materials known as rare earth elements (REEs) that are in short supply, but scientists are reporting development of a new method to recycle them from wastewater. The process, which is described in a study in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, could help alleviate economic and environmental pressures facing the REE industry.

Zhang Lin and colleagues point out that REEs, such as terbium — a silvery metal so soft it can be cut with a knife — behave in unique ways as super magnets, catalysts or superconductors. That makes them irreplaceable in many of today's tech gadgets and machines. Market watchers expect global demand to rise to at least 185,000 tons by 2015. Although some of these elements are actually plentiful, others are indeed in short supply. According to reports, terbium and dysprosium supplies may only last another 30 years. Attempts so far to recycle them from industrial wastewater are expensive or otherwise impractical. A major challenge is that the elements are typically very diluted in these waters. The team knew that a nanomaterial known as nano-magnesium hydroxide, or nano-Mg(OH)2, was effective at removing some metals and dyes from wastewater. So they set out to understand how the compound worked and whether it would efficiently remove diluted REEs, as well.

To test their idea, they produced inexpensive nano-Mg(OH)2 particles, whose shapes resemble flowers when viewed with a high-power microscope. They showed that the material captured more than 85 percent of the REEs that were diluted in wastewater in an initial experiment mimicking real-world conditions. "Recycling REEs from wastewater not only saves rare earth resources and protects the environment, but also brings considerable economic benefits," the researchers state. "The pilot-scale experiment indicated that the self-supported flower-like nano-Mg(OH)2 had great potential to recycle REEs from industrial wastewater."

### The authors cite funding from the National Basic Research Program of China, the Outstanding Youth Fund, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fund of Fujian Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Follow us: Twitter Facebook


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Qigong can help fight fatigue in prostate cancer survivors

2013-10-30
Qigong can help fight fatigue in prostate cancer survivors Pilot study shows that older patients enjoy and benefit from this mind-body activity The flowing movements and meditative exercises of the mind-body activity Qigong may help survivors of prostate cancer to combat ...

HDL cholesterol controls blood glucose

2013-10-30
HDL cholesterol controls blood glucose Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease rates are markedly increased in individuals with type 2 diabetes. One of the strongest independent predictors ...

Brain regions can be specifically trained

2013-10-30
Brain regions can be specifically trained This news release is available in German. Video gaming causes increases in the brain regions responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation and strategic planning as well as fine motor skills. This ...

The world's most powerful terahertz quantum cascade laser

2013-10-30
The world's most powerful terahertz quantum cascade laser Whether it is diagnostic imaging, analysis of unknown substances or ultrafast communication -- terahertz radiation sources are becoming more and more important; At the Vienna University ...

Google street view -- tool for recording earthquake damage

2013-10-30
Google street view -- tool for recording earthquake damage 2009 L'Aquila quake's destruction revealed through contrast of images SAN FRANCISCO, October 30, 2013 -- A scientist from Cologne University has used Google's online street view scans to document ...

A mimic of 'good cholesterol' could someday treat cardiovascular and other diseases

2013-10-30
A mimic of 'good cholesterol' could someday treat cardiovascular and other diseases A new type of "good cholesterol," made in the lab, could one day deliver drugs to where they are needed in the body to treat disease or be used in medical imaging, according ...

Low vitamin D levels during pregnancy associated with preterm birth in non-white mothers

2013-10-30
Low vitamin D levels during pregnancy associated with preterm birth in non-white mothers PITTSBURGH, Oct. 30, 2013 – African-American and Puerto Rican women who have low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are more likely to go ...

Baking blueberries changes their polyphenol content -- and possibly their health benefits

2013-10-30
Baking blueberries changes their polyphenol content -- and possibly their health benefits Blueberries are called a "superfood" for their high polyphenol content, but when served as warm, gooey pie filling or when lending bursts of sweet flavor to a muffin, ...

Historic blaze fueled a boom in tire recycling, advances in fire monitoring

2013-10-30
Historic blaze fueled a boom in tire recycling, advances in fire monitoring An historic tire fire 30 years ago that blazed on for nine months in the northwest Virginia Appalachians, releasing giant plumes of toxic smoke, sparked a recycling revolution and ...

Novel technique for suturing tissue-engineered collagen graft improves tendon repair

2013-10-30
Novel technique for suturing tissue-engineered collagen graft improves tendon repair New Rochelle, NY, October 30, 2013—The repair of ruptured tendons often requires the use of a graft to bridge gaps between the torn tendon and ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids

ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000

Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work

Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing

New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture

The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet

Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections

From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine

Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023

No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults

NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders

Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds

University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant

Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research

Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma

Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue

Genomes reveal the Norwegian lemming as one of the youngest mammal species

[Press-News.org] Recycling valuable materials used in TVs, car batteries, cell phones