Selective recovery of critical metals from environmental and anthropogenic waste by biologically mediated fractionation

随着依赖这些金属的设备的消费持续增长，锌、铜、铅、钴等关键金属(CMS)以及稀土元素(REE)的全球需求不断增加。然而，这类金属的长期供应和可获得性正面临压力，回收率极低，这意味着需要更可持续的方法来回收CM。使用活性磁性纳米颗粒等吸附材料为从各种来源提取CMS提供了一种很有前途的解决方案，如从火山灰材料、矿山尾矿或废水中提取CMS。磁性纳米颗粒，如磁铁矿，是自然产生的，可以通过生物产生的方法生产，这种方法是更苛刻的化学提取方法的低成本和可持续的替代方法。该项目将研究如何利用生物磁性矿物从不同的来源选择性地提取不同的金属和CMS。候选人将与布里斯托尔大学、埃克塞特大学和工业案例合作伙伴(Indivus)合作，为复杂问题开发创新解决方案，并探索环境现场更广泛的金属污染问题。

Critical metals (CMs) such as zinc, copper, lead, cobalt, as well as rare earth elements (REEs) are under increasing global demand as the consumption of devices dependent upon such metals continues to grow. However, the long-term supply and availability of such metals are under strain, with extremely low rates of recycling meaning that more sustainable methods for CM recovery are required. The use of sorbent materials such as reactive, magnetic nanoparticles offers a promising solution for the extraction of CMs from a range of sources such as in ash material, from mine tailings, or wastewater. Magnetic nanoparticles, such as magnetite, are naturally occurring and can be produced via biogenic approaches which are low cost and sustainable alternatives to harsher chemical extraction methods. This project will investigate how biogenic magnetic minerals can be used to selectively extract, i.e. fractionate, different metals and CMs from different sources. The candidate will collaborate with the University of Bristol, The University of Exeter, and an industrial CASE partner (Indivus) to develop innovative solutions to a complex problem, as well as exploring the wider issue of metal contamination in environmental field sites.