Innovations in Urban Mining

城市采矿创新

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-07103
• 负责人: Azimi, Gisele
• 金额: $ 2.84万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=717905
• 关键词: Innovations; Urban; Mining

With the growing awareness around the crucial need to protect the urban environment and, subsequently, increased motivation for compliance with environmental regulations around the world, the circular economy, urban mining and recycling of end-of-life products have been rapidly expanding. This Discovery project Innovations in Urban Mining sets out a new direction in the field of recycling of strategic materials from secondary resources. The proposed interdisciplinary research will focus on developing fundamental understanding and practical applications of supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) also called “aerio-metallurgy”, i.e., metallurgy using air or gas to extract lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, and gold from waste electrical and electronic equipment. The proposed SCFE process is an alternative to the conventional hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical processes that are harmful to the environment. In this Discovery program, first, we will develop a first-of-a-kind optimized SCFE process for recycling of lithium ion batteries, fluorescent lamps, and electronic circuit boards by implementing systematic statistical approaches for green and efficient urban mining of electronic waste. Second, a ground-breaking interdisciplinary approach will be utilized to elucidate the mechanism governing the complexation process during SCFE and the kinetics in processes running under supercritical conditions using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and Light Source synchrotron. This approach will shed light on the structural coordination and interatomic interactions of metalchelated complexes formed during SCFE. Such knowledge is not currently available, which limits the ability to determine the size and geometry of the reactor. Third, we will produce the first-of-a-kind data set for phase equilibria of chelated metals in supercritical CO2 that is not currently available. We will also shed light on the complex thermodynamics of the system by developing thermodynamic models that could accurately predict the extraction behavior of valuable products from solids that in turn will enable the process design and economic evaluation of the process. Successful implementation of the proposed research program will benefit the Canadian economy and environment while creating a world-leading industry. The developed knowledge in this Discovery program would also help other researchers expand the applicability of the SCFE process to new heights. If this process is proven to be successful, it will transform extraction and recycling processes from environmentally unsustainable to nature friendly and green processes. The results of this research will directly inform three sets of stakeholders in Canada: operators; the public; and policy makers. An equally important output of this project is a specialized team of highly qualified personnel with globally unique skills and insights into SCFE to power green urban mining applications in the future.

随着人们对保护城市环境的迫切需要的认识不断增强，以及随之而来的世界各地遵守环境法规的动力的增强，循环经济、城市采矿和报废产品的回收正在迅速发展。这个探索项目“城市采矿创新”为二次资源战略材料回收领域指明了新方向。拟议的跨学科研究将重点发展对超临界流体萃取（SCFE）（也称为“航空冶金”）的基础理解和实际应用，即利用空气或气体从废弃电气和电子设备中提取锂、钴、稀土元素和金的冶金学。所提出的 SCFE 工艺是对环境有害的传统湿法冶金或火法冶金工艺的替代方案。 在这个发现计划中，首先，我们将通过实施系统的统计方法来绿色高效地城市电子废物开采，开发首个优化的 SCFE 工艺，用于回收锂离子电池、荧光灯和电子电路板。其次，将采用突破性的跨学科方法来阐明 SCFE 期间络合过程的控制机制以及使用 X 射线吸收光谱 (XAS) 和光源同步加速器在超临界条件下运行的过程的动力学。这种方法将揭示 SCFE 过程中形成的金属螯合配合物的结构配位和原子间相互作用。目前尚无法获得此类知识，这限制了确定反应器尺寸和几何形状的能力。第三，我们将生成首个用于超临界二氧化碳中螯合金属相平衡的数据集，目前尚无法获得。我们还将通过开发热力学模型来阐明系统的复杂热力学，该模型可以准确预测从固体中提取有价值产品的行为，从而实现工艺设计和工艺的经济评估。 拟议研究计划的成功实施将有利于加拿大的经济和环境，同时创造世界领先的产业。该发现计划中开发的知识还将帮助其他研究人员将 SCFE 过程的适用性扩展到新的高度。如果这一过程被证明是成功的，它将把提取和回收过程从环境不可持续转变为自然友好和绿色过程。这项研究的结果将直接告知加拿大的三组利益相关者：运营商；公众；和政策制定者。该项目的一个同样重要的成果是一支由高素质人员组成的专业团队，他们拥有全球独特的技能和对 SCFE 的见解，为未来的绿色城市采矿应用提供动力。