Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Chloride Media with Tetrabutyl Diglycolamide in 1-Octanol Modified Carbon Dioxide

Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical to our modern world. Recycling REEs from used products could help with potential supply issues. Extracting REEs from chloride media with tetrabutyl diglycolamide (TBDGA) in carbon dioxide could help recycle REEs with less waste than traditional solvents. Carbon dioxide as a solvent is inexpensive, inert, and reusable. Conditions for extraction of Eu from aqueous chloride media were optimized by varying moles percent of 1-octanol modifier, temperature, pressure, Eu concentration, TBDGA concentration, Cl− concentration, and HCl concentration. These optimized conditions were tested on a Y, Ce, Eu, Tb simulant material, REEs containing NdFeB magnets, and lighting phosphor material. The optimized conditions were found to be 23 °C, 24.1 MPa, 0.5 mol% 1-octanol, with an excess of TBDGA. At these conditions 95 ± 2% Eu was extracted from 8 M (mol/m3) HCl. Extraction from the mixed REE simulate material resulted in separation of Y, Eu, and Tb from the Ce which remained in the aqueous solution. The extraction on NdFeB magnet dissolved into 8 M HCl resulted in extraction of Pr, Nd, Dy, and Fe >97%. This results in a separation from B, Al, and Ni. Extraction from a trichromatic lighting phosphor leachate resulted in extraction of Y and Eu >93% and no extraction of Ba, Mg, and Al.