Continuous Chromatography with Reactions for the Purification of Rare Earth Elements

1403854王普渡大学该项目旨在开发新的高效、经济的方法来生产稀土元素(REE)的化合物，如Nd3+、Nd3+、Pr、Sm和Sm。这些元件广泛应用于许多高科技产品中，如炼油催化剂、彩色电视和平板显示器中的荧光粉、永久磁铁和充电电池。它们在美国供不应求，需要从中国进口，该公司生产的稀土占世界稀土供应的95%以上，并计划限制出口。对于美国工业和国家安全来说，开发环境可持续的方法来增加国内稀土供应，同时将生产成本降至最低，这一点很重要。这一拟议项目的目标是了解基本概念并产生所需的新数据，以开发高效的具有反应的连续层析，以取代目前用于稀土生产的基于提取的纯化工艺。将开发基于本征吸附和传质参数以及无量纲基团的系统设计和放大方法。无反应连续等度洗脱体系的驻波设计法将推广到有反应的连续体系。设计方法将用速率模型模拟和三种稀土(Pr、Nd和Sm)的实验数据进行验证。这两种纯化方法(逐步洗脱和置换)将与捕获层析在一个有效的连续过程中整合在一起。将设计、建造和测试一种新的六区连续层析装置，用于分离Pr、ND和Sm。配基辅助逐步洗脱和置换层析都将使用这一新设备进行测试。将对这两种纯化方法进行评估，并在生产率、溶剂使用量和分离成本方面与间歇色谱和串联SMB进行比较。结果将对管理稀土元素的生命周期产生重大影响，同时最大限度地减少净化成本、溶剂使用、废物产生和对环境的影响。该项目开发的设计方法和模拟工具可用于开发高效的连续层析过程，通过反应从复杂的混合物中高产率地生产其他高纯度化学品。该项目将涉及研究生和本科生，并将带来改进的教材。这一结果可能会被工业用于稀土生产，并被其他研究人员用于类似或不同的分离。这一结果将对精细化学品、生物化学品、食品和药品的生产成本产生重大影响，这些产品的年销售额高达数十亿美元。该项目还将影响分离教学，并有助于将这项新技术转移到工业中。

1403854WangPurdue UniversityThe project aims to develop new efficient and economical methods to produce compounds of rare earth elements (REEs), such as neodymium, Nd, praseodymium, Pr, and samarium, Sm. Such elements are widely used in many high-tech products, such as petroleum refining catalysts, phosphors in color television and flat panel displays, permanent magnets, and rechargeable batteries. They are in short supply in the US and need to be imported from China, which produces over 95% of the world's REE supply and plans to restrict exports. It is important for the US industry and national security to develop environmentally sustainable methods to increase domestic REE supply, while minimizing production costs. The objective of this proposed project is to understand the fundamental concepts and generate the new data required to develop efficient continuous chromatography with reactions to replace the current extraction-based purification processes for REEs production. Systematic design and scale-up methods based on intrinsic adsorption and mass transfer parameters and dimensionless groups will be developed. The Standing Wave Design methods for continuous isocratic-elution systems without reactions will be extended to continuous systems with reactions. The design methods will be verified with rate model simulations and experimental data from three REEs (Pr, Nd, and Sm). The two purification methods (step-wise elution and displacement) will be integrated with capture chromatography in an efficient continuous process. A new six-zone continuous chromatography unit will be designed, built, and tested for the separation of Pr, Nd, and Sm. Both ligand-assisted stepwise elution and displacement chromatography will be tested using this new equipment. Both purification methods will be evaluated and compared with batch chromatography and tandem SMB for productivity, solvent usage, and separation costs. The results will have a major impact on managing the life cycles of REEs, while minimizing purification costs, solvent usage, waste production, and environmental impact. The design methods and the simulation tools developed in this project can be used to develop efficient continuous chromatography processes with reactions to produce other high-purity chemicals with high yield from complex mixtures.The project will involve graduate and undergraduate students, and will lead to improved teaching materials. The results potentially will be used by industry for REE production and by other researchers for similar or different separations. The results will have a major impact on the production costs of fine chemicals, biochemicals, foods, and pharmaceuticals, which have multibillion dollar annual sales. The project will also impact teaching of separations and help transfer this new technology to industry.