Type
ArticleAuthors
Can Sener, Serife E.
Thomas, Valerie M.

Hogan, David E.
Maier, Raina M.

Carbajales-Dale, Michael
Barton, Mark D.
Karanfil, Tanju

Crittenden, John C.

Amy, Gary L.
KAUST Department
Environmental Science and Engineering ProgramWater Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division
Date
2021-08-24Online Publication Date
2021-08-24Print Publication Date
2021-09-06Embargo End Date
2022-08-24Submitted Date
2021-05-05Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/670801
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
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.Citation
Can Sener, S. E., Thomas, V. M., Hogan, D. E., Maier, R. M., Carbajales-Dale, M., Barton, M. D., … Amy, G. L. (2021). Recovery of Critical Metals from Aqueous Sources. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03005Sponsors
This work was supported in part by the National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Program (SRP) Grant P42 ES004940.Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)Additional Links
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03005https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8580379
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03005