With the rapid advancement of technology the demand for elements such as rare earth metals (REMs) has increased considerably during the last decade. Many countries are facing problems securing sustainable supplies, a fact acknowledged in many publications. The current resource issues and the growing demand for metals used in advanced technologies have focused attention towards more efficient processing of end-of-life products and waste streams. Fluorescent lamp waste is regarded as a viable target for the recovery of REMs, specifically cerium, europium, gadolinium, lanthanum, terbium, and yttrium. However, this is a challenge due to the chemical complexity of the waste, the mercury which contaminates the stream, and the difficulties to individually separate and purify the REMs.The feasibility of using solvent extraction for the separation of lanthanum, cerium, europium, gadolinium, terbium and yttrium contained in fluorescent lamp waste is addressed. Comparisons between some of the solvents (ligands and diluents) commonly used in the separation of REMs from various streams will presented, emphasizing their advantages and limitations towards real fluorescent lamp waste. The importance of parameters such as extractant concentration, acidity, temperature etc. on the extraction efficiency of REMs is discussed, together with a possible optimization for an industrial scale-up.

Feasibility of using solvent extraction for the industrial recovery of rare earth metals contained in fluorescent lamp waste

247th National Meeting (2014)

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