(225y) Adsorption of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in Functionalized Nanoporous Carbons

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are 17 elements of periodic table including 15 lanthanides, scandium and yttrium. These REEs play a critical role in almost all fields modern society, including renewable sectors, electronics, battery, and military applications. The separation of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from various non-conventional sources is critically important to maintain the supply-demand balance of REEs in the western world. It is very challenging to separate REEs from other elements or from each other owing to very similar properties. In this work, we have fabricated mesoporous carbon grafted with various heteroatom-containing chelating agents, including single-stranded oligo and carboxylate groups. It was also demonstrated that such adsorbents successfully adsorbed and extracted REEs from various synthetic and non-conventional sources. Extended X-ray absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) analysis confirmed the shortening of bond distance between REE and heteroatoms that confirmed the chelation of REEs on the adsorbent surface. The overall results suggested that these adsorbents can potentially be used to enrich REEs from various sources.