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. 2021 Sep 6;9(35):11616-11634.
doi: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03005. Epub 2021 Aug 24.

Recovery of Critical Metals from Aqueous Sources

Serife E Can Sener  1 , Valerie M Thomas  2 , David E Hogan  3 , Raina M Maier  3 , Michael Carbajales-Dale  1 , Mark D Barton  4 , Tanju Karanfil  1 , John C Crittenden  5 , Gary L Amy  1
Affiliations

Recovery of Critical Metals from Aqueous Sources

Serife E Can Sener et al. ACS Sustain Chem Eng. .

Abstract

Critical metals, identified from supply, demand, imports, and market factors, include rare earth elements (REE), platinum group metals, precious metals, and other valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and uranium. Extraction of metals from U.S. saline aqueous, emphasizing saline, sources is explored as an alternative to hardrock ore mining. Potential aqueous sources include seawater, desalination brines, oil-and-gas produced waters, geothermal aquifers, and acid mine drainage, among others. A feasibility assessment reveals opportunities for recovery of lithium, strontium, magnesium, and several REE from select sources, in quantities significant for U.S. manufacturing and for reduction of U.S. reliance on international supply chains. This is a conservative assessment given that water quality data are lacking for a significant number of critical metals in certain sources. The technology landscape for extraction and recovery of critical metals from aqueous sources is explored, identifying relevant processes along with knowledge gaps. Our analysis indicates that aqueous mining would result in much lower environmental impacts on water, air, and land than ore mining. Preliminary assessments of the economics and energy consumption of recovery show potential for recovery of critical metals.

Keywords: Critical Metals; Extraction Technologies; Mining Impacts; Saline Water Sources.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
USA-Centric Criticality Index, C (2018 Data).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Aqueous-Phase Saline Sources for Mining of Critical Elements.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Feasibility to Meet Global Demand of Critical Metals from Aqueous Sources
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Extraction and Concentration of Targeted Constituents by Ion-Selective Sorption, Electro-Sorption, and Membrane Processes.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Production cost (blue) and market price (red) of critical metals (within 0 – 100 % scale are median values (solid line) and 25, 50, 75, and 100 percentile values).
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Energy inputs to mining and processing of minerals and metals (data from).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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