Lanthanide (Ln) metals have a variety of modern applications ranging from smartphones and optical lenses to gasoline and nuclear reactors. Their increasing significance and prevalence in multiple industries place great importance on research aiming to optimize Ln extraction. By improving selectivity and efficiency of Ln recovery, we can expand our ability to obtain individual Lns not only from their raw sources (i.e., natural minerals, ores) but also in recycling them from used products (i.e., batteries, lighting). Recent research has shown some promise with methodologies that involve MOFs and ionic liquids for Ln specific separation. Our group has developed a series of carbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO) extraction agents designed for similar applications in selective Ln extraction. We have experimented with several ligand capping scaffolds including tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TREN), tris(3-aminopropyl)amine (TRPN) and trialkylphosphine oxide (OTRAP). Previously, our group demonstrated the promising results of the OTRAP capped ligand’s ability to extract the larger Lns, such as cerium (Ce) and praseodymium (Pr) ions. Recognizing this, we further investigated what other factors could potentially influence, and ideally optimize, the selective liquid-liquid Ln extraction with an OTRAP-capped CMPO ligand. In particular, we explored the effect of stir time length used during the extraction protocol. Initial observations support that longer stir times favor the selective extraction of heavier Lns, while shorter stir times have higher extraction for all Lns. We also hope to apply this unique extraction behavior to mixtures containing the heavier Lns such as the natural ore, bastnäsite, and commercial products, like catalytic converters found in cars. Ultimately, these studies hope to delineate more efficient Ln extraction methods as well as their application to Ln mixtures commonly found in natural and commercial materials.

Lanthanide extraction with a trialkylphosphine oxide capped ligand: Variation of extraction conditions to optimize lanthanide recovery

2019 Spring National Meeting

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