Distributed sustainable metals production: opportunities for intensifying separations & alternative feedstocks

Meeting the increased demand for rare earth elements and uranium for clean energy technologies requires additional sources beyond primary mined ore. Secondary sources like phosphogypsum, coal fly ash, used nuclear fuel, and electronic waste are concentrated sources of critical minerals. One strategy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current opinion in chemical engineering 2025-03, Vol.47, Article 101075
Main Authors: Kent, Kayla M, Dean-Kersten, William R, Duval, Christine E, Servis, Anna G
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Meeting the increased demand for rare earth elements and uranium for clean energy technologies requires additional sources beyond primary mined ore. Secondary sources like phosphogypsum, coal fly ash, used nuclear fuel, and electronic waste are concentrated sources of critical minerals. One strategy for a resilient supply chain is to decentralize sourcing and hydrometallurgical processing of metals. Rotating packed beds (RPBs) for solid-phase extraction and liquid–liquid extraction are gaining momentum for their ability to increase process throughput by 5–10x the state of the art. This review discusses advances in hydrometallurgical RPB processes and opportunities for implementation in distributed metals production.
ISSN:2211-3398
2211-3398
DOI:10.1016/j.coche.2024.101075