TY - JOUR
T1 - Recovery of Critical Metals from Aqueous Sources
AU - Can Sener, Serife E.
AU - Thomas, Valerie M.
AU - Hogan, David E.
AU - Maier, Raina M.
AU - Carbajales-Dale, Michael
AU - Barton, Mark D.
AU - Karanfil, Tanju
AU - Crittenden, John C.
AU - Amy, Gary L.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Program (SRP) Grant P42 ES004940.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2021/9/6
Y1 - 2021/9/6
N2 - Critical metals, identified from supply, demand, imports, and market factors, include rare earth elements (REEs), platinum group metals, precious metals, and other valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and uranium. Extraction of metals from U.S. saline aqueous, emphasizing saline, sources is explored as an alternative to hardrock ore mining. Potential aqueous sources include seawater, desalination brines, oil- and gas-produced waters, geothermal aquifers, and acid mine drainage, among others. A feasibility assessment reveals opportunities for recovery of lithium, strontium, magnesium, and several REEs from select sources, in quantities significant for U.S. manufacturing and for reduction of U.S. reliance on international supply chains. This is a conservative assessment given that water quality data are lacking for a significant number of critical metals in certain sources. The technology landscape for extraction and recovery of critical metals from aqueous sources is explored, identifying relevant processes along with knowledge gaps. Our analysis indicates that aqueous mining would result in much lower environmental impacts on water, air, and land than ore mining. Preliminary assessments of the economics and energy consumption of recovery show potential for recovery of critical metals.
AB - Critical metals, identified from supply, demand, imports, and market factors, include rare earth elements (REEs), platinum group metals, precious metals, and other valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and uranium. Extraction of metals from U.S. saline aqueous, emphasizing saline, sources is explored as an alternative to hardrock ore mining. Potential aqueous sources include seawater, desalination brines, oil- and gas-produced waters, geothermal aquifers, and acid mine drainage, among others. A feasibility assessment reveals opportunities for recovery of lithium, strontium, magnesium, and several REEs from select sources, in quantities significant for U.S. manufacturing and for reduction of U.S. reliance on international supply chains. This is a conservative assessment given that water quality data are lacking for a significant number of critical metals in certain sources. The technology landscape for extraction and recovery of critical metals from aqueous sources is explored, identifying relevant processes along with knowledge gaps. Our analysis indicates that aqueous mining would result in much lower environmental impacts on water, air, and land than ore mining. Preliminary assessments of the economics and energy consumption of recovery show potential for recovery of critical metals.
KW - Critical metals
KW - Extraction technologies
KW - Mining impacts
KW - Saline water sources
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85114704139&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85114704139&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03005
DO - 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03005
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85114704139
VL - 9
SP - 11616
EP - 11634
JO - ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
JF - ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
SN - 2168-0485
IS - 35
ER -