Apparatus and methods for rare earth element recovery and purification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026071299-A1
Application number	US-202519320123-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 5, 2025
Priority date	Sep 11, 2024
Publication date	Mar 12, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed at apparatus and methods for rare earth element recovery and purification. The apparatus and methods are preferably configured to apply to column-based chromatographic separation and purification of rare earth element(s) and recovery of rare earth element(s) from a mobile phase containing rare-earth element chelating agent(s).

First claim

1 . A method for rare earth element recovery and purification comprising:
a. providing a mixture of rare earth elements comprising one or more of first rare earth elements and one or more of second rare earth elements; b. providing a first chelating agent and chelating one or more of said first rare earth elements wherein one or more of said second rare earth elements remain unchelated; c. introducing one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements and one or more of said unchelated second rare earth elements to a chromatography column having a stationary immobilized phase wherein one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements pass through the column and one or more of said second unchelated rare earth elements are bound to said stationary immobilized phase; and d. exposing one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements that pass through said column to ultraviolet irradiation and deconstructing one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements and recovering one or more of said first rare earth elements.

2 . The method of claim 1 including eluting said second unchelated rare earth elements bound to said stationary immobilized phase from said column.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein said one or more first rare earth elements comprises Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, or Lr.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein said one or more second rare earth elements comprises Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, or Lr.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein said stationary immobilized phase comprises a protein.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein said protein comprises the repeating sequence X 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 X 5 X 6 X 7 X 8 X 9 wherein X denotes any amino acid, and X 1 is D or E, X 2 is A, T, or S, X 3 is D, E or N, X 4 is G, A, or F, X 5 is D, X 6 is G, S, or D, X 7 is Y, L, V, F, I, E or W, X 8 is A, V, I, L, F or T, X 9 is D, E, or N.

7 . The method of claim 5 wherein the protein comprises an amino acid sequence with at least 75% identity to SEQ ID NO. 1.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein said UV irradiation has a wavelength in the range of 100 nm to 315 nm.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein exposing of said one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements that pass through said column to ultraviolet irradiation comprises introducing said one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements to an inlet of an apparatus that provides a UV lamp including a reflective inner layer to reflect UV light.

10 . A method for rare earth element recovery and purification comprising:
a. providing a mixture of rare earth elements comprising one or more of first rare earth elements and one or more of second rare earth elements; b. providing a chromatography column having a stationary immobilized phase and binding one or more of said first rare earth elements and one or more of said second rare earth elements to said stationary immobilized phase; c. eluting said chromatograph column with a first chelating agent, wherein said first chelating agent chelates with said one or more of said second rare earth elements and removes said one or more of said second rare earth elements from said chromatography column, wherein one or more of said first rare earth elements remain bound to said column; d. exposing one or more of said second chelated rare earth elements with ultraviolet irradiation and deconstructing one or more of said second chelated rare earth elements and recovering one or more of said second rare earth elements; e. eluting said chromatography column with a second chelating agent wherein said second chelating agent chelates with one or more of said first rare earth elements bound to the column and removes one or more of said first rare earth elements from said chromatographic column; and f. exposing one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements with ultraviolet irradiation and deconstructing one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements and recovering one or more of said first rare earth elements.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein said one or more first rare earth elements comprises Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, or Lr.

12 . The method of claim 10 wherein said one or more second rare earth elements comprises Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, or Lr.

13 . The method of claim 10 wherein said stationary immobilized phase comprises a protein.

14 . The method of claim 13 wherein said protein comprises the repeating sequence X 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 X 5 X 6 X 7 X 8 X 9 wherein X denotes any amino acid, and X 1 is D or E, X 2 is A, T, or S, X 3 is D, E or N, X 4 is G, A, or F, X 5 is D, X 6 is G, S, or D, X 7 is Y, L, V, F, I, E or W, X 8 is A, V, I, L, F or T, X 9 is D, E, or N.

15 . The method of claim 10 wherein the protein comprises an amino acid sequence with at least 75% identify to SEQ ID NO. 1.

16 . The method of claim 10 wherein said UV irradiation has a wavelength in the range of 100 nm to 315 nm.

17 . The method of claim 10 wherein exposing of said one or more of said first chelated REEs that pass through said column to ultraviolet irradiation comprises introducing said one or more of said first chelated REEs to an inlet of an apparatus that provides a UV lamp including a reflective inner layer to reflect UV light.

18 . A method for rare earth element recovery and purification comprising:
a. providing a mixture of rare earth elements comprising one or more of first rare earth elements and one or more of second rare earth elements; b. providing a first chelating agent and chelating one or more of said first and second rare earth elements; c. exposing one or more of said first and second chelated rare earth elements to ultraviolet irradiation and (i) deconstructing one or more of said second chelated rare earth elements to an unchelated form; (ii) maintaining said one or more of said first chelated rare earth elements in chelated form; a. introducing one or more of said second unchelated rare earth elements and one or more of said chelated first rare earth elements to a chromatography column having a stationary immobilized phase wherein one or more of said second unchelated rare earth elements bind to said stationary immobilized phase and one or more of said chelated first rare earth elements pass through said chromatography column.

19 . The method of claim 18 including eluting one or more of said second unchelated rare earth elements bound to said stationary immobilized phase from said column.

20 . The method of claim 18 wherein said one or more first rare earth elements comprises Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, or Lr.

21 . The method of claim 18 wherein said one or more second rare earth elements comprises Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, or Lr.

22 . The method of claim 18 wherein said stationary immobilized phase comprises a protein.

23 . The method of claim 22 wherein said protein comprises the repeating sequence X 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 X 5 X 6 X 7 X 8

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• Lee Harvey D
• Heater Bradley S
• Kucharzyk Katarzyna H

Classifications

• C22B59/00 Primary

  Obtaining rare earth metals · CPC title

• B01J20/26

  Synthetic macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• C22B4/04

  Heavy metals {(C22B4/005 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C22B3/205

  using adducts or inclusion complexes · CPC title

• B01D15/424 Primary

  Elution mode · CPC title