权益分类	功能权益	普通用户	{{item.name}}会员
{{category.name}}	{{benefitItem.name}}

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/M011232/1
负责人：
Steven Banwart
金额：
$ 67.72万
依托单位：
University of Sheffield
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%2FM011232%2F1
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头条。欧盟在2010年将所有稀土元素定义为关键元素，随后欧盟在2014年进行了分析，英国和美国的类似项目也强调了“重”稀土元素（从铕到镥）是最有可能出现供应中断的金属，而且在不久的将来会出现供应短缺。目前面临的挑战是寻找和生产最环保、经济上可行的钕（Nd）和稀土（HREE）矿床，以便在新的绿色技术中继续扩大稀土的使用。该项目的主要目的是了解自然系统中Nd和HREE的流动性和浓度，并研究降低稀土提取和回收对环境影响的新工艺。通过集中研究关键的稀土元素，研究方案可以广泛涉及所考虑的矿床和加工技术。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最可能在生产时对环境产生低影响的矿床类型，以及连接两个目标的研究。该项目将之前催化剂项目（GEM-CRE, MM-FREE）的两个小组联合起来，组成一个新的跨学科团队，由英国稀土矿床地质方面的领先专家组成，他们带来了大量的背景知识和最新研究，以及来自材料科学，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的关键科学家。该研究响应了合作行业伙伴的需求，涉及实质性的国际合作以及在REE价值链上更广泛的国际和英国网络。工作方案有两个部分。第一个重点是常规矿床，包括中国以外的所有稀土矿和大多数正在进行的勘探和开发项目。其目的是对这些天然矿床中稀土元素的流动性的理解做出一个步骤的改变。然后，在此基础上，进一步进行矿物学分析、计算和实验研究，以优化最相关的提取方法。第二股着眼于未来，开发一种可持续的稀土提取新方法。重点是离子吸附矿床，其中容易浸出Nd和HREE，并且可以使用控制良好的原位浸出操作，对任何主要矿石类型的环境影响最小。通过与从事稀土勘探和开发项目的行业合作伙伴的合作，我们将立即应用该技术，他们将获得改进的矿床模型和更好、更高效、因此更环保的提取技术。当我们发表我们的研究结果供其他国际团队和公司的研究人员使用时，将会有更广泛的好处。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性问题，本研究所解决的挑战几乎是所有稀土矿床共同面临的挑战。尽管英国本身没有世界级的稀土储量，而且依赖海外项目，但这是一个绝佳的机会，可以为这一开发提供世界领先的专业知识。使用稀土的制造商也将从研究结果中受益，因为他们将获得有关未来钕和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，以及短期采购策略。同样，研究结果将有助于为国家和欧洲一级的政策制定提供信息，并使更广泛的社区对环境资源的自然特征和重要性产生兴趣、娱乐和教育。