Continuous Chromatography with Reactions for the Purification of Rare Earth Elements

该项目旨在开发新的高效和经济的方法来生产稀土元素（ree）的化合物，如钕、钕、镨、Pr和钐。这些元素被广泛应用于许多高科技产品中，如石油精炼催化剂、彩色电视和平板显示器中的荧光粉、永久磁铁和可充电电池。它们在美国供不应求，需要从中国进口，中国稀土产量占世界稀土供应量的95%以上，并计划限制出口。对于美国工业和国家安全来说，开发环境可持续的方法来增加国内稀土供应，同时最大限度地降低生产成本是很重要的。这个项目的目标是了解基本概念，并产生新的数据，以开发有效的连续色谱反应，以取代目前基于提取的纯化工艺，用于稀土生产。系统的设计和放大方法基于固有的吸附和传质参数和无量纲基团将发展。无反应连续等压洗脱系统的驻波设计方法将推广到有反应的连续系统。设计方法将通过速率模型模拟和三种稀土元素（Pr， Nd和Sm）的实验数据进行验证。两种纯化方法（逐步洗脱和置换）将与捕获色谱在一个高效的连续过程中集成。一个新的六区连续色谱单元将被设计，建造，并测试分离Pr， Nd和Sm。该仪器将用于配体辅助逐步洗脱和置换层析。这两种纯化方法将被评估，并与间歇色谱法和串联SMB进行生产率、溶剂使用和分离成本的比较。研究结果将对稀土元素的生命周期管理产生重大影响，同时最大限度地降低净化成本、溶剂使用、废物产生和环境影响。本项目开发的设计方法和模拟工具可用于开发高效的连续色谱工艺，通过反应从复杂混合物中生产其他高纯度、高产量的化学品。该项目将涉及研究生和本科生，并将改进教材。该结果可能会被工业用于稀土生产，并被其他研究人员用于类似或不同的分离。这一结果将对年销售额达数十亿美元的精细化学品、生物化学品、食品和药品的生产成本产生重大影响。该项目还将影响分离教学，并有助于将这项新技术应用于工业。

1403854WangPurdue UniversityThe project aims to develop new efficient and economical methods to produce compounds of rare earth elements (REEs), such as neodymium, Nd, praseodymium, Pr, and samarium, Sm. Such elements are widely used in many high-tech products, such as petroleum refining catalysts, phosphors in color television and flat panel displays, permanent magnets, and rechargeable batteries. They are in short supply in the US and need to be imported from China, which produces over 95% of the world's REE supply and plans to restrict exports. It is important for the US industry and national security to develop environmentally sustainable methods to increase domestic REE supply, while minimizing production costs. The objective of this proposed project is to understand the fundamental concepts and generate the new data required to develop efficient continuous chromatography with reactions to replace the current extraction-based purification processes for REEs production. Systematic design and scale-up methods based on intrinsic adsorption and mass transfer parameters and dimensionless groups will be developed. The Standing Wave Design methods for continuous isocratic-elution systems without reactions will be extended to continuous systems with reactions. The design methods will be verified with rate model simulations and experimental data from three REEs (Pr, Nd, and Sm). The two purification methods (step-wise elution and displacement) will be integrated with capture chromatography in an efficient continuous process. A new six-zone continuous chromatography unit will be designed, built, and tested for the separation of Pr, Nd, and Sm. Both ligand-assisted stepwise elution and displacement chromatography will be tested using this new equipment. Both purification methods will be evaluated and compared with batch chromatography and tandem SMB for productivity, solvent usage, and separation costs. The results will have a major impact on managing the life cycles of REEs, while minimizing purification costs, solvent usage, waste production, and environmental impact. The design methods and the simulation tools developed in this project can be used to develop efficient continuous chromatography processes with reactions to produce other high-purity chemicals with high yield from complex mixtures.The project will involve graduate and undergraduate students, and will lead to improved teaching materials. The results potentially will be used by industry for REE production and by other researchers for similar or different separations. The results will have a major impact on the production costs of fine chemicals, biochemicals, foods, and pharmaceuticals, which have multibillion dollar annual sales. The project will also impact teaching of separations and help transfer this new technology to industry.