SoS RARE - Security of Supply of Rare Earth Elements

SoS RARE - 稀土元素供应安全

• 批准号: NE/M010856/1
• 负责人: Adrian Finch
• 金额: $ 45.97万
• 依托单位: University of St Andrews
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2015 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FM010856%2F1
• 关键词: SoS; RARE; Security; Supply; Rare

Rare earth elements (REE) are the headline of the critical metals security of supply agenda. All the REE were defined as critical by the European Union in 2010, and in subsequent analysis in 2014. Similar projects in the UK and USA have highlighted 'heavy' REE (HREE - europium through to lutetium) as the metals most likely to be at risk of supply disruption and in short supply in the near future. The REE are ubiquitous within modern technologies, including computers and low energy lighting, energy storage devices, large wind turbines and smart materials, making their supply vital to UK society. The challenge is to develop new environmentally friendly and 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 will be wide ranging in the deposits and processing techniques considered. It gives NERC and the UK a world-leading research consortium on critical REE, concentrating on deposit types identified in the catalyst phase as most likely to have low environmental impact, and on research that bridges the two goals of the SoS programme.The project brings together two groups from the preceding catalyst projects (GEM-CRE, MM-FREE) to form a new interdisciplinary team, including the UK's leading experts in REE geology and metallurgy, together with materials science, high/low temperature fluid geochemistry, computational simulation/mineral physics, geomicrobiology and bioprocessing. The team brings substantial background IP and the key skills required. The research responds to the needs of 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 via mineralogical analysis, experiments and computational simulation. Then, based on this research, the aim is to optimise the most relevant extraction methods. The second strand looks to the future to develop a sustainable new method of REE extraction. The focus will be the ion adsorption deposits, which could be exploited with the lowest environmental impact of any of the main ore types using a well-controlled in-situ leaching operation.Impact will be immediate through our 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 for researchers in other international teams and companies as we publish our results. Security of REE supply is a major international issue and the challenges tackled in this research will be relevant to practically all REE deposits. Despite the UK not having world class REE deposits itself, the economy is reliant on REE (e.g. the functional materials and devices industry is worth ~£3 Bn p.a.) and therefore the UK must lead research into the extraction process. Manufacturers who use REE will also benefit from the research 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 and to interest, entertain and educate the wider community about the natural characters and importance of the REE.

稀土元素（REE）是关键金属供应安全议程的标题。所有REE在2010年被欧盟定义为关键，并在2014年的后续分析中被定义为关键。英国和美国的类似项目强调，“重”稀土（HREE -铕到镥）是最有可能在不久的将来出现供应中断和供应短缺的金属。REE在现代技术中无处不在，包括计算机和低能耗照明，储能设备，大型风力涡轮机和智能材料，使其供应对英国社会至关重要。目前的挑战是开发新的环境友好和经济上可行的钕（Nd）和重稀土矿床，以便稀土元素在新的绿色技术中的使用可以继续扩大。该项目的主要目的是了解自然系统中钕和重稀土元素的流动性和浓度，并研究新的工艺，以降低稀土元素提取和回收对环境的影响。通过专注于关键的稀土元素，研究范围将包括所考虑的矿床和加工技术。它使NERC和英国成为世界领先的关键REE研究联盟，专注于催化剂阶段确定的最有可能对环境影响较小的存款类型，以及连接SoS计划两个目标的研究。（GEM-CRE、MM-FREE）组建新的跨学科团队，包括英国REE地质和冶金领域的领先专家，以及材料科学、高/低温流体地球化学、计算模拟/矿物物理、地质微生物学和生物加工。该团队带来了大量的背景知识产权和所需的关键技能。该研究响应了行业合作伙伴的需求，并涉及实质性的国际合作以及整个REE价值链的更广泛的国际和英国网络。工作方案有两个方面。第一部分集中在常规矿床，包括中国境外的所有稀土矿和大多数正在进行的勘探和开发项目。其目的是通过矿物学分析、实验和计算机模拟，对这些天然矿床中稀土元素的流动性的理解发生一步变化。然后，基于这项研究，目的是优化最相关的提取方法。第二条链展望未来，开发一种可持续的稀土提取新方法。我们的重点将是离子吸附矿床，利用控制良好的原地浸出作业，可以在任何主要矿石类型中对环境影响最小的情况下进行开采。通过我们从事稀土元素勘探和开发项目的行业合作伙伴，他们将获得改进的存款模型和更好、更高效、因此更环保的提取技术，影响将是立竿见影的。当我们公布我们的结果时，其他国际团队和公司的研究人员将获得更广泛的利益。稀土供应的安全是一个重大的国际问题，在这项研究中解决的挑战将涉及到几乎所有的稀土矿床。尽管英国本身没有世界级的稀土矿床，但经济依赖稀土（例如，功能材料和设备行业每年价值约30亿英镑）。因此英国必须领导对提取过程的研究。使用稀土元素的制造商也将从研究中受益，因为他们将获得有关未来钕和重稀土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，以及短期采购战略。同样，研究结果将有助于为国家和欧洲层面的政策提供信息，并使更广泛的社区对REE的自然特征和重要性感兴趣，娱乐和教育。

项目成果

Resolving the structural state of heavy rare earth elements in lateritic ion adsorption clays

解析红土离子吸附粘土中重稀土元素的结构状态

• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: LIFE WITH ORE DEPOSITS ON EARTH, PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH SGA BIENNIAL MEETING, 2019, VOLS 1-4
• 作者: Anouk Margaretha Borst

Structural state of rare earth elements in eudialyte-group minerals

真二解族矿物中稀土元素的结构状态

• DOI: 10.1180/mgm.2019.50
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Mineralogical Magazine
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Borst A

Mantle sources and magma evolution in Europe's largest rare earth element belt (Gardar Province, SW Greenland): New insights from sulfur isotopes

欧洲最大稀土元素带（格陵兰岛西南部加尔达尔省）的地幔来源和岩浆演化：来自硫同位素的新见解

• DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117034
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Earth and Planetary Science Letters
• 影响因子: 5.3
• 作者: Hutchison W

Lanthanide and yttrium substitution in natural fluorite

天然萤石中的镧系元素和钇替代

• DOI: 10.1007/s00269-023-01239-4
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Physics and Chemistry of Minerals
• 影响因子: 1.4
• 作者: Horsburgh N

Sulphur isotopes of alkaline magmas unlock long-term records of crustal recycling on Earth

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12218-1
• 发表时间: 2019-09
• 期刊: Nature Communications
• 影响因子: 16.6
• 作者: W. Hutchison;Rainer J. Babiel;A. Finch;M. Marks;G. Markl;A. Boyce;E. Stüeken;H. Friis;A. Borst;N. Horsburgh