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) 一直是关键金属供应安全议程的焦点。 2010 年，欧盟将所有稀土元素定义为关键稀土元素，随后欧盟于 2014 年进行的分析以及英国和美国的类似项目，强调“重”稀土元素（铕到镥）是最重要的金属。不仅可能面临供应中断的风险，而且在不久的将来还会出现供应短缺的情况。我们面临的挑战是寻找和生产最环保、经济上可行的钕 (Nd) 和重稀土矿床，以便能够继续扩大稀土元素在新技术和绿色技术中的使用。该项目的主要目标是了解稀土元素的流动性和浓度稀土元素在自然系统中的含量，并研究可降低稀土元素提取和回收对环境影响的新工艺。通过专注于关键稀土元素，该研究项目可以广泛涉及所考虑的矿藏和加工技术。它为 NERC 提供了一个世界领先的关键稀土研究联盟，专注于在催化剂阶段确定的在生产时最有可能对环境影响较小的矿床类型，以及连接资助呼吁的两个目标的研究。汇集了之前催化剂项目（GEM-CRE、MM-FREE）的两个小组，组建了一个新的跨学科团队，该团队由英国稀土矿床地质学领域的领先专家组成，他们带来了丰富的背景知识产权和最新研究成果，以及关键科学家来自材料科学、高低温流体地球化学、计算模拟和矿物物理学、地球微生物学和生物处理。该研究响应了行业合作伙伴的需求，涉及实质性的国际合作以及整个 REE 价值链上更广泛的国际和英国网络。工作计划有两个部分。第一个以常规矿床为中心，包括中国境外的所有稀土矿以及大多数活跃的勘探和开发项目。目的是逐步改变人们对这些天然矿床中稀土元素流动性的认识。然后，在此研究的基础上，进一步进行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。第二部分着眼于未来，开发一种可持续的稀土元素提取新方法。重点是离子吸附矿床，很容易从中浸出 Nd 和 HREE，并且可以通过良好控制的原位浸出操作对任何主要矿石类型的环境影响最低。应用将是通过我们与从事稀土勘探和开发项目的行业合作伙伴的合作，他们将获得改进的矿床模型以及更好、更高效、因此更环保的提取技术。当我们发布我们的结果供其他国际团队和公司的研究人员使用时，将会带来更广泛的好处。稀土元素供应的多样性和安全性在很大程度上是一个国际问题，本研究解决的挑战几乎对所有稀土元素矿床来说都是共同的。尽管英国本身并不拥有世界级的稀土矿床，并且依赖海外项目，但仍有一个绝佳的机会为这一开发提供世界领先的专业知识。使用 REE 的制造商也将受益于研究成果，获得有关未来 Nd 和 HREE 供应前景的最新信息。这将有助于规划他们的长期产品开发以及短期采购策略。同样，研究结果将有助于为国家和欧洲层面的政策制定提供信息，并引起广大社区对稀土元素自然特征和重要性的兴趣、娱乐和教育。