Tellurium and Selenium Cycling and Supply

碲和硒的循环和供应

• 批准号: NE/M011801/2
• 负责人: Helen Williams
• 金额: $ 13.63万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2016 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FM011801%2F2
• 关键词: Tellurium; Selenium; Cycling; Supply

A shift from fossil fuels to low-CO2 technologies will lead to greater consumption of certain essential raw materials. Tellurium (Te) and selenium (Se) are 'E-tech' elements essential in photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. They are rare and mined only in small quantities; their location within the Earth is poorly known; recovering them is technically and economically challenging; and their recovery and recycling has significant environmental impacts. Yet demand is expected to surge and PV film production will consume most Se mined and outstrip Te supply by 2020. Presently, these elements are available only as by-products of Cu and Ni refining and their recovery from these ores is decreasing, leading to a supply risk that could hamper the roll-out of PV.Meeting future demand requires new approaches, including a change from by-production to targeted processing of Se and Te-rich ores. Our research aims to tackle the security of supply by understanding the processes that govern how and where these elements are concentrated in the Earth's crust; and by enabling their recovery with minimal environmental and economic cost. This will involve >20 industrial partners from explorers, producers, processors, end-users and academia, contributing over £0.5M. Focussed objectives across 6 environments will target key knowledge gaps.The magmatic environment: Develop methods for accurately measuring Se and Te in minerals and rocks - they typically occur in very low concentrations and research is hampered by the lack of reliable data. Experimentally determine how Te and Se distribute between sulfide liquids and magmas - needed to predict where they occur - and ground-truth these data using well-understood magmatic systems. Assess the recognised, but poorly understood, role of "alkaline" magmas in hydrothermal Te mineralisation.The hydrothermal environment: Measure preferences of Te and Se for different minerals to predict mineral hosts and design ore process strategies. Model water-rock reaction in "alkaline" magma-related hydrothermal systems to test whether the known association is controlled by water chemistry.The critical zone environment: Determine the chemical forms and distributions of Te and Se in the weathering environment to understand solubility, mobility and bioavailability. This in turn controls the geochemical halo for exploration and provides a natural analogue for microbiological extraction.The sedimentary environment: Identify the geological and microbiological controls on the occurrence, mobility and concentration of Se and Te in coal - a possible major repository of Se. Identify the geological and microbiological mechanisms of Se and Te concentration in oxidised and reduced sediments - and evaluate these mechanisms as potential industrial separation processes.Microbiological processing: Identify efficient Se- and Te-precipitating micro-organisms and optimise conditions for recovery from solution. Assess the potential to bio-recover Se and Te from ores and leachates and design a bioreactor.Ionic liquid processing: Assess the ability of ionic solvents to dissolve Se and Te ore minerals as a recovery method. Optimise ionic liquid processing and give a pilot-plant demonstration.This is the first holistic study of the Te and Se cycle through the Earth's crust, integrated with groundbreaking ore-processing research. Our results will be used by industry to: efficiently explore for new Te and Se deposits; adapt processing techniques to recover Te and Se from existing deposits; use new low-energy, low-environmental impact recovery technologies. Our results will be used by national agencies to improve estimates of future Te and Se supplies to end-users, who will benefit from increased confidence in security of supply, and to international government for planning future energy strategies. The public will benefit through unhindered development of sustainable environmental technologies to support a low-CO2 society.

从化石燃料到低CO2技术的转变将导致对某些必需原材料的更多消耗。柜（TE）和硒（SE）是光伏（PV）太阳能电池板必不可少的“电子技术”元素。它们很少见，仅少量开采。他们在地球中的位置知之甚少。在技​​术和经济上恢复它们​​是挑战。他们的恢复和回收具有重大的环境影响。然而，预计需求会激增，PV膜的产量将在2020年消耗大多数SE开采和超过TE供应。目前，这些元素仅作为Cu和Ni精炼的副产品可用，并且从这些矿石中恢复的副产品正在减少，从而导致供应风险降低，从而阻碍了未来需求的范围。将未来的需求妨碍新的方法，包括新的处理方法，包括范围或对byprodect的变化，即可逐渐变化。我们的研究旨在通过了解控制这些要素的方式和地点的过程来解决供应安全；并以最低的环境和经济成本使他们的恢复。这将涉及来自探险家，生产商，加工商，最终用户和学术界的20个工业合作伙伴，贡献了50万英镑。跨6个环境的集中对象将针对关键知识差距。岩浆环境：开发用于准确测量矿物质和岩石中的SE和TE的方法 - 它们通常以非常低的浓度出现，并且缺乏可靠的数据会阻碍研究。通过实验确定硫化物液体和岩浆之间的TE和SE分布 - 需要使用良好理解的岩浆系统来预测它们发生的位置以及这些数据。评估“碱性”岩浆在水热TE矿化中的认可但知之甚少的作用。水热环境：测量TE和SE对不同矿物的偏好，以预测矿物宿主和设计矿石过程策略。模型在“碱性”岩浆相关的氢热系统中的水岩反应测试已知关联是否受水化学控制。关键区域环境：确定在风化环境中TE和SE的化学形式和分布，以了解溶解度，迁移率和生物可用性。这反过来又控制着地球化学的勘探，并为微生物提取的自然类似物提供了类似物。沉积环境：确定SE和TE在煤炭中的发生，迁移率和浓度的地质和微生物控制 - 可能的主要存储库。在氧化和减少的沉积物中确定SE和TE浓度的地质和微生物机制 - 并评估这些机制作为潜在的工业分离过程。MicrobiologicProcessing：确定有效的SE-和TE-ECTCITICITITAIGY SE-和TECECICITICITAIGY的微生物，并优化从解决方案中恢复的条件。评估从矿石和叶片中生物恢复Se和Te的潜力。离子液体加工：评估离子溶液将Se和Te Ore矿物溶解为恢复方法的能力。优化离子液体加工并进行试验性植物的演示。这是对TE和SE周期的首次整体研究，并通过地球上的地壳与开创性的矿石加工研究融为一体。我们的结果将由行业使用：有效探索新的TE和SE存款；适应处理技术以从现有存款中收回TE和SE；使用新的低能，低环境影响恢复技术。国家机构将使用我们的结果来改善对最终用户的未来TE和SE供应的估计，他们将从对供应安全安全的信心和国际政府中受益，以计划未来的能源战略。公众将通过不受阻碍的可持续环境技术的发展来受益，以支持低CO2社会。

项目成果

Redox transfer at subduction zones: insights from Fe isotopes in the Mariana forearc

• DOI: 10.7185/geochemlet.2003
• 发表时间: 2020-01-31
• 期刊: GEOCHEMICAL PERSPECTIVES LETTERS
• 影响因子: 4.9
• 作者: Debret, B.;Reekie, C. D. J.;Williams, H. M.
• 通讯作者: Williams, H. M.

Shallow forearc mantle dynamics and geochemistry: New insights from IODP Expedition 366

• DOI: 10.1016/j.lithos.2018.10.038
• 发表时间: 2019-02-01
• 期刊: LITHOS
• 影响因子: 3.5
• 作者: Debret, B.;Albers, E.;Williams, H.
• 通讯作者: Williams, H.

The Fe and Zn isotope composition of deep mantle source regions: Insights from Baffin Island picrites

• DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2018.07.021
• 发表时间: 2018-10
• 期刊: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: A. McCoy-West;J. Fitton;M. Pons;E. Inglis;H. Williams

Carbonate Transfer during the Onset of Slab Devolatilization: New Insights from Fe and Zn Stable Isotopes

• DOI: 10.1093/petrology/egy057
• 发表时间: 2018-06-01
• 期刊: JOURNAL OF PETROLOGY
• 影响因子: 3.9
• 作者: Debret, B.;Bouilhol, P.;Williams, H.
• 通讯作者: Williams, H.