SoS RARE: Multidisciplinary research towards a secure and environmentally sustainable supply of critical rare earth elements (Nd and HREE)

SoS RARE：多学科研究，致力于关键稀土元素（Nd 和 HREE）的安全和环境可持续供应

基本信息

批准号：
NE/M011232/2
负责人：
Steven Banwart
金额：
$ 58.75万
依托单位：
University of Leeds
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2016
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2016 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FM011232%2F2
关键词：
SoS RARE Multidisciplinary research towards

项目摘要

Rare earth elements (REE) have been the headline of the critical metals security of supply agenda. All of the REE were defined as critical by the European Union in 2010 and subsequent analysis by the European Union in 2014, as well as similar projects in the UK and USA, highlighted 'heavy' REE (europium through to lutetium) as the metals most likely to be, not only at risk of supply disruption, but in short supply in the near future. The challenge is to find and produce the most environmentally friendly, economically viable, neodymium (Nd) and HREE deposits so that use of REE in new and green technologies can continue to expand.The principal aims of this project are to understand the mobility and concentration of Nd and HREE in natural systems and to investigate new processes that will lower the environmental impact of REE extraction and recovery.By concentrating on the critical REE, the research programme can be wide ranging in the deposits and processing techniques considered. It gives NERC a world-leading research consortium on critical rare earths, concentrating on deposit types identified in the catalyst phase as most likely to have low environmental impact when in production, and on research that bridges the two goals of the grant call.The project brings together two groups from the preceding catalyst projects (GEM-CRE, MM-FREE) to form a new interdisciplinary team consisting of the UK's leading experts in the geology of REE deposits, who bring substantial background IP and recent studies, together with key scientists from materials science, high and low temperature fluid geochemistry, computational simulation and mineral physics, geomicrobiology and bioprocessing. The research responds to the needs of collaborative industry partners and involves substantive international collaboration as well as a wider international and UK network across the REE value chain. The work programme has two strands. The first centres on conventional deposits, which comprise all of the REE mines outside China and the majority of active exploration and development projects. The aim is to make a step change in the understanding of the mobility of REE in these natural deposits. Then, based on this research, further mineralogical analysis and computational and experimental studies, the aim is to optimise the most relevant extraction methods. The second strand looks further to the future to develop a sustainable new method of REE extraction. The focus will be the ion adsorption deposits, from which it is easy to leach Nd and HREE and which could be exploited with the lowest environmental impact of any of the main ore types using a well-controlled in-situ leaching operation.Application will be immediate through our collaboration with industry partners engaged in REE exploration and development projects, who will gain improved deposit models and better and more efficient, and therefore more environmentally friendly, extraction techniques. There will be wider benefits as we publish our results for researchers in other international teams and companies to use. Diversity and security of REE supply are very much an international issues and the challenges tackled in this research are common to practically all REE deposits. Even though the UK does not have world class REE deposits itself and is reliant on overseas projects, there is an excellent opportunity to provide world-leading expertise for this development. Manufacturers who use REE will also benefit from the research results by receiving up to date information on prospects for future Nd and HREE supply. This will help plan their longer term product development, as well as shorter term purchasing strategy. Likewise, the results will be useful to inform national and European level policy making and to interest, entertain and educate the wider community about the natural characters and importance of the REE.

稀土元素（REE）一直是供应议程关键金属安全性的标题。欧盟在2010年被定义为至关重要的，欧盟随后由欧盟在2014年进行分析，以及在英国和美国的类似项目，强调了“重型” REE（Europium to to Lutetium），因为金属最有可能不仅处于供应中断的风险，而且在不久的将来供应。面临的挑战是找到并生产最环保，经济上可行的，新近的（ND）和Hree存款，以便在新的和绿色的技术中使用REE可以继续扩展。该项目的主要目的是了解ND和Hree在自然系统中的移动性和集中度和集中度，并将降低REE的研究范围较低的研究。和处理技术。它为NERC提供了关于关键稀土的世界领先的研究联盟，专注于在催化剂阶段确定的存款类型，最有可能在生产时具有低环境影响，以及桥接赠款呼叫的两个目标的研究。该项目将两个小组汇集在一起，从先前的催化项目（GEM-CRE，MM-Free）中汇集了一个新的互联网，以融合了新的相互作用的团队，以使其成为新的互联网，这是一个新的互联网，这是一个新的相互作用的团队。大量背景IP和最近的研究，以及材料科学，高温和低温流体地球化学，计算模拟和矿物质物理学，地球生物学和生物处理的主要科学家。该研究响应了协作行业合作伙伴的需求，并涉及大量国际合作以及整个REE价值链的更广泛的国际和英国网络。该工作计划有两个链。最初的关于常规存款的中心，该存款构成了中国以外的所有REE地雷以及大多数积极的勘探和开发项目。目的是改变对REE在这些自然存款中的流动性的理解。然后，基于这项研究，进一步的矿物学分析以及计算和实验研究，目的是优化最相关的提取方法。第二条链进一步探讨了未来，以开发一种可持续的REE提取方法。重点将是离子吸附矿床，从中易于浸出和hree，可以使用任何主要的矿石类型的环境影响来利用它，使用良好控制的现场浸出操作对任何主要矿石类型的影响。技术。当我们为其他国际团队和公司的研究人员发布结果时，将会有更大的好处。 REE供应的多样性和安全性是一个国际问题，这项研究中所面临的挑战几乎是所有REE存款所常见的。即使英国没有世界一流的REE存款并依赖海外项目，但仍有一个很好的机会为这一发展提供世界领先的专业知识。使用REE的制造商还将通过收到有关未来ND和Hree供应前景的最新信息，从研究结果中受益。这将有助于计划其长期产品开发以及较短的定期购买策略。同样，结果对于为国家和欧洲一级的政策制定提供信息以及对REE的自然特征和重要性的娱乐和教育也将很有用。