Mine to Magnets – Securing a Supply of Rare Earth Elements from Volcanic Tuffs for UK Magnet Manufacture

从矿山到磁铁 — 确保从火山凝灰岩中为英国磁铁制造商提供稀土元素

• 批准号: 10078460
• 金额: $ 46.38万
• 依托单位: SELOXIUM LIMITED
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Feasibility Studies
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10078460
• 关键词: Mine; Magnets; Securing; Supply; Rare

The UK needs to ensure a robust and secure supply of various critical materials, among which Rare Earth Elements (REE) are classed as the most critical due to their various uses in permanent magnets, high strength alloys and other high-tech applications. REE are particularly critical as they are sourced from a relatively small number of countries other than the UK and hence their supply is not guaranteed in times of geopolitical tension.This project focuses on a novel source of REE which is so far not used for REE enrichment although it is plentiful and rich in REE -- volcanic tuffs. Volcanic tuffs are igneous rocks formed during volcanic eruptions and found commonly in areas of volcanic activity. A particular type of volcanic tuff rich in REE has been identified in geothermal fields by the Earth Science Department of the University of Oxford. A feasibility study is funded by this project to investigate whether it is possible to extract REE from such volcanic tuffs without the need to excavate the rock and destroy local fauna and flora. The idea is to leach the REE from underground geothermal wells using the existing equipment and techniques deployed by geothermal powerplant operators. The leached REE then need to be extracted from the geothermal brine and refined using a scalable and cost-effective method. A novel method is proposed here to achieve this using SelectalTM, a multi-patented platform technology developed by Seloxium Ltd. that can selectively flocculate target metals from aqueous solutions.Conventional methods of mining and refining REE have the disadvantages of high energy consumption, low selectivity, high operating cost, and formation of secondary pollutants. Hence, an alternative process is proposed in this application via a novel coupled leaching--refining system with Seloxium's technology. The SelectalTM process can produce a high purity metal at a cost, purity, scale, and speed not attainable using competing technologies.This is a collaborative project between aqua-mining company Seloxium Ltd. and The University of Oxford - focusing on a 2-step methodology to obtain critical REE for magnets from a completely novel source and refine them in a green and sustainable way, boosting the REE supply chain for the UK.

英国需要确保各种关键材料的稳定和安全供应，其中稀土元素（REE）因其在永磁体、高强度合金和其他高科技应用中的多种用途而被列为最关键的材料。稀土元素尤其重要，因为它们来自英国以外的相对较少的国家，因此在地缘政治紧张时期其供应无法得到保证。该项目重点关注一种新的稀土元素来源，该来源迄今为止尚未用于稀土元素浓缩尽管它富含稀土元素——火山凝灰岩。火山凝灰岩是火山喷发过程中形成的火成岩，常见于火山活动地区。牛津大学地球科学系在地热田中发现了一种富含稀土元素的特殊火山凝灰岩。该项目资助了一项可行性研究，以调查是否有可能从此类火山凝灰岩中提取稀土元素，而无需挖掘岩石并破坏当地的动植物群。这个想法是利用地热发电厂运营商部署的现有设备和技术从地下地热井中浸出稀土元素。然后需要从地热盐水中提取浸出的稀土元素，并使用可扩展且具有成本效益的方法进行精炼。这里提出了一种新方法来实现这一目标，即使用 Selectal™，这是 Seloxium Ltd. 开发的一项获得多项专利的平台技术，可以选择性地从水溶液中絮凝目标金属。传统的稀土元素开采和精炼方法存在能耗高、选择性低的缺点、运行成本高，且形成二次污染物。因此，本申请提出了一种替代工艺，即采用 Seloxium 技术的新型耦合浸出-精炼系统。 SelectalTM 工艺可以以竞争技术无法达到的成本、纯度、规模和速度生产高纯度金属。这是水产采矿公司 Seloxium Ltd. 和牛津大学之间的合作项目 - 重点关注两个步骤方法从全新的来源获取磁体的关键稀土元素，并以绿色和可持续的方式精炼它们，从而促进英国的稀土元素供应链。