Environmentally friendly technology allows for efficient separation of REEs and transition metals from waste | inl
Sign Up for the Mining News DigestThe new method involves the use of dimethyl ether, a gaseous compound that served as one of the first commercial refrigerants. The compound drives fractional crystallization—a process that divides chemical substances based on their solubility—to separate rare earth elements and transition metals from magnet wastes.
The dimethyl ether-driven process uses far less energy and pressure than traditional methods, typically conducted at very high temperatures. Fractional crystallization, on the other hand, can be carried out at ambient temperatures and requires only slightly elevated pressures of around five atmospheres. In comparison, the pressure in an unopened 12-ounce can of soda is 3.5 atmospheres. These lower energy and pressure needs also save money.
The process has other advantages as well. “It can be difficult to adjust temperatures for evaporative crystallization, but this fractional crystallization process eliminates all those challenges,” Stetson said. “For the process to separate distinct fractions from a metal-bearing solution, we only need to adjust the temperature by 10 degrees.”
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