utrf@tennessee.com

PI: Howard Hall, Ph.D.Nuclear Engineering

Click to add Co-Investigator(s)

GAS-PHASE THERMOCHROMAGRAPHIC SEPARATION OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS

Co-Investigators: Dr. John Auxier II, Daniel Hanson, Matthew Marsh

Jacob Jordan

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RARE EARTH ELEMENTS (REEs)

Collection of 17 chemical elements

Vital component of high-tech devices

95% supplied by China

• 2010: China restricts exports, prices skyrocket

• Needed: More efficient extraction, recycling methods

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• A novel method for separating and purifying rare earth elements (REEs)

− Reduces time to prepare, separate, and quantify REEs

− Increased efficiency

− Decreased costs

− 99.9999% purity, Δtr/wav > 1.5

− Reduced environmental impact

• Key applications in recycling REEs for electronics

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

Ln[hfac]4 Compounds

Resolution (∆tr/wav )

Sm and Tm 3.25

Tm and Nd 5.30

Left to Right: Sm, SmC, SmO. At 3.4-3.6 min

Dy: 4.85-4.9 min.

Left to Right: Tm, TmF. At 4.1-4.2 min.

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• Current stage of the technology development:– Separation of lanthanide complexes demonstrated

• TRL 3

• Additional research required:– Refinement of synthesis process

– Better understanding of phases for fractional distillation

– Proof of scalability

• Preliminary data available demonstrating that the technology works

TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY

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TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP

• Uniqueness of Technology:– First report of gas-phase separations of REEs

– Fast analysis technique for short-lived compounds

• Performance Indicators: speed, recovery rate, financial cost, environmental impact– Reduced sample preparation time from 1 week to 1 day

– Near 100% recovery rate from starting product to final separations

– Higher purity than required obtained

– Potentially “greener”

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• Technical R&D Plan:

• Key challenge to overcome:– Scalability on industrial levels

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PLAN

0 Months 15 Months

6 Months

10 Months

12 Months

Finishing experimental

radioanalytical separations

Explore best organic ligands for separation

– Determine key thermodynamic parameters

– Create more accurate separation models

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• Commercialization plan:– Demonstrate functionality of method

– Tailor to a variety of elements (add additional elements)

– Demonstrate feasibility of scale up

• Likely commercialization partners:– REE recycling companies (e.g., Molycorp)

– Electronics companies (e.g., Siemens)

– Radiopharmaceutical applications (e.g., Cardinal)

COMMERCIALIZATION PLAN

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APPLICATIONS/TARGET CUSTOMERS/CURRENT PRACTICE

Application Description

Target Customers

Current Practice

Application #1 REE recycling for electronics

Electronics companies

Liquid-phase separations

Application #2 REE separation from ore

Electronics companies

Liquid-phase separations

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COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATION

Company Method Purity

Electronics/Engineering Company

Aqueous /Organic Extraction 99.999 %

Life science/High tech Company

Undisclosed Method 99.999%

UT Method* Gas Phase 99.9999%

* Lower separation times * Reduced energy footprint

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MARKET OPPORTUNITY

• Estimated market size:– $8.9 billion in 2014

– Global production: 124,000 tons

– Demand: 134,000 tons

• Fraction of the available market captured:– 95% of market dominated by China

– Increase recycling to reduce or eliminate dependence on China

• Expected market growth:– 2014 annualized growth rate = 15.4%

– $10.9 billion by 2019

Howard L. HallGovernor’s Chair Professor of Nuclear Engineering

(865) 974.2525

hhall6@utk.edu

CONTACT