(Press-News.org) Ion-adsorption rare earth deposits (IADs) are primary sources of heavy rare earth elements (HREE), supplying over 90% of the global demand for HREE. However, the current ammonium-salt-based in-situ mining technique has led to severe environmental impacts.
To facilitate sustainable REE mining, Professors ZHU Jianxi and HE Hongping’s team from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has developed a green and efficient electrokinetic mining (EKM) technology.
Their work was published in Nature Sustainability on Jan. 6, 2025.
To address the challenges of sustainable and efficient REE extraction, the research team proposed the concept of EKM in 2023, enabling green, efficient, economical, and rapid recovery of REE. While initial experiments validated its feasibility, industrial-scale application of this new EKM technology posed challenges, such as electrode stability in corrosive environments, potential leachate leakage during large-scale implementation, and the complex impacts of groundwater and ore structure on REE recovery.
In response, the researchers developed cutting-edge strategies, such as developing conductive plastic electrodes, high-voltage blocking strategies, and an intermittent power alternation method. These advancements reduced leaching agent usage by 80%, mining time by 70%, and energy consumption by 60%. During 60 days of industrial-scale testing, the new technology achieved a REE recovery rate exceeding 95%.
Environmental monitoring further confirmed a 95% reduction in ammonia-nitrogen emissions in groundwater and surface water, significantly mitigating the environmental impact of REE mining.
The researchers emphasized that their study highlights the strong potential of EKM technology in industrial applications, offering substantial advantages in environmental protection, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. This breakthrough provides robust technical support for the green and large-scale mining of IADs, paving the way for sustainable resource utilization.
This work was financially supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS, the Guangdong Major Program of Basic and Applied Research, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
END
Researchers develop new technology for sustainable rare earth mining
2025-01-08
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