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.

从化石燃料转向低二氧化碳技术将导致某些基本原材料的更多消费。碲（Te）和硒（Se）是光伏（PV）太阳能电池板中必不可少的“E-tech”元素。它们很稀有，开采量很小;它们在地球上的位置鲜为人知;回收它们在技术上和经济上都具有挑战性;它们的回收和再循环对环境有重大影响。然而，预计需求将激增，到2020年，光伏薄膜生产将消耗大部分硒矿，并超过碲供应。目前，这些元素仅作为铜和镍精炼的副产品，其从这些矿石中的回收率正在下降，导致供应风险，可能会阻碍光伏的推出。满足未来需求需要新的方法，包括从副产品转变为有针对性地加工富含硒和碲的矿石。我们的研究旨在通过了解这些元素在地壳中集中的方式和位置的过程来解决供应安全问题;并以最小的环境和经济成本实现其恢复。这将涉及来自勘探者，生产者，加工者，最终用户和学术界的20多个工业合作伙伴，贡献超过50万英镑。岩浆环境：开发精确测量矿物和岩石中Se和Te的方法--它们通常以非常低的浓度存在，并且由于缺乏可靠的数据，研究受到阻碍。通过实验确定Te和Se如何在硫化物液体和岩浆之间分布-这是预测它们发生的位置所必需的-并使用充分理解的岩浆系统来验证这些数据。热液环境：测量不同矿物对Te和Se的偏好，以预测矿物宿主和设计矿石加工策略。模拟与“碱性”岩浆有关的热液系统中的水-岩反应，以测试已知的组合是否受水化学控制。临界区环境：确定Te和Se在风化环境中的化学形式和分布，以了解溶解度、流动性和生物有效性。这反过来又控制着勘探的地球化学晕，并为微生物提取提供了天然的类似物。沉积环境：确定地质和微生物对煤中Se和Te的发生、流动性和浓度的控制--煤可能是Se的主要储存库。确定氧化和还原沉积物中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工艺。微生物处理：确定有效的Se和Te沉淀微生物，并优化从溶液中回收的条件。评估从矿石和浸出液中生物回收硒和碲的潜力，并设计生物反应器。离子液体处理：评估离子溶剂溶解硒和碲矿石矿物作为回收方法的能力。优化离子液体处理并进行中试示范。这是第一次对地壳中的Te和Se循环进行全面研究，并结合了开创性的矿石处理研究。我们的研究成果将被工业界用于：有效地探索新的碲和硒矿床;调整加工技术，从现有矿床中回收碲和硒;使用新的低能耗，低环境影响的回收技术。我们的研究结果将用于国家机构，以改善未来的碲和硒供应的最终用户，谁将受益于供应安全的信心增加，并为国际政府规划未来的能源战略的估计。公众将受益于可持续环境技术的不受阻碍的发展，以支持低二氧化碳社会。

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.