SoS RARE: Sustainable Development of Nd and HREE deposits

SoS RARE：Nd 和 HREE 矿床的可持续开发

• 批准号: NE/M01116X/1
• 负责人: Kathryn Goodenough
• 金额: $ 52.39万
• 依托单位: British Geological Survey
• 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%2FM01116X%2F1
• 关键词: SoS; RARE; Sustainable; Development; Nd

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重点。 2010 年，欧盟将所有稀土元素定义为关键金属，并在 2014 年进行了后续分析。英国和美国的类似项目强调“重”稀土元素（HREE - 铕到镥）是最有可能在不久的将来面临供应中断和供应短缺风险的金属。稀土元素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，这使得它们的供应对英国社会至关重要。面临的挑战是开发新的环境友好且经济可行的钕 (Nd) 和 HREE 矿床，以便继续扩大 REE 在新技术和绿色技术中的使用。该项目的主要目的是了解 Nd 和 HREE 在自然系统中的流动性和浓度，并研究可降低 REE 提取和回收对环境影响的新工艺。通过专注于关键 REE，研究将广泛应用于矿床和加工领域 所考虑的技术。它为 NERC 和英国提供了一个关于关键 REE 的世界领先的研究联盟，专注于在催化剂阶段确定的最有可能对环境影响较小的矿床类型，以及连接 SoS 计划的两个目标的研究。该项目汇集了之前催化剂项目（GEM-CRE、MM-FREE）的两个小组，组成了一个新的跨学科团队，其中包括英国在 REE 地质学和冶金方面的领先专家。 涉及材料科学、高/低温流体地球化学、计算模拟/矿物物理学、地球微生物学和生物加工。该团队带来了丰富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，涉及实质性的国际合作以及整个稀土元素价值链的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。目的是通过矿物学分析、实验和计算模拟，逐步改变对这些天然矿床中稀土元素流动性的理解。然后，基于这项研究，目的是优化最相关的提取方法。第二条着眼于未来，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，通过良好控制的原位浸出作业，可以对任何主要矿石类型的环境影响最低。我们从事稀土元素勘探和开发项目的行业合作伙伴将立即产生影响，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时，其他国际团队和公司的研究人员将获得更广泛的好处。稀土元素供应安全是一个重大国际问题，本研究解决的挑战几乎与所有稀土元素矿床相关。尽管英国本身没有世界级的稀土矿床，但其经济依赖于稀土元素（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 REE 的制造商也将从研究中受益，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。

项目成果

Ion adsorption-type REE deposit associated with the Ambohimirahavavy alkaline complex: potential controls on mineralisation

与 Ambohimirahavavy 碱性杂岩有关的离子吸附型稀土矿床：对矿化的潜在控制

• DOI: 10.1080/03717453.2017.1306272
• 发表时间: 2017
• 期刊: Applied Earth Science
• 作者: Marquis E

REE concentration processes in ion adsorption deposits: Evidence from the Ambohimirahavavy alkaline complex in Madagascar

• DOI: 10.1016/j.oregeorev.2019.103027
• 发表时间: 2019-09-01
• 期刊: ORE GEOLOGY REVIEWS
• 影响因子: 3.3
• 作者: Estrade, Guillaume;Marquis, Eva;Nason, Peter
• 通讯作者: Nason, Peter

The Rare Earth Elements: Demand, Global Resources, and Challenges for Resourcing Future Generations

• DOI: 10.1007/s11053-017-9336-5
• 发表时间: 2018-04-01
• 期刊: NATURAL RESOURCES RESEARCH
• 影响因子: 5.4
• 作者: Goodenough, Kathryn M.;Wall, Frances;Merriman, David
• 通讯作者: Merriman, David

Comparison of Heterotrophic Bioleaching and Ammonium Sulfate Ion Exchange Leaching of Rare Earth Elements from a Madagascan Ion-Adsorption Clay

• DOI: 10.3390/min8060236
• 发表时间: 2018-06-01
• 期刊: MINERALS
• 影响因子: 2.5
• 作者: Barnett, Megan J.;Palumbo-Roe, Barbara;Gregory, Simon P.
• 通讯作者: Gregory, Simon P.

Carbonatites and Alkaline Igneous Rocks in Post-Collisional Settings: Storehouses of Rare Earth Elements

• DOI: 10.1007/s12583-021-1500-5
• 发表时间: 2021-08
• 期刊: Journal of Earth Science
• 影响因子: 3.3
• 作者: K. Goodenough;E. Deady;C. Beard;S. Broom-Fendley;H. Elliott;Frederick van den Berg;H. Öztürk