Nanohydrometalurgy applying magnetic nanoparticles in the recovery of critical metals

• Grant number: 23/01064-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Jorge Alberto Soares Tenório
• Grantee: Giovani Pavoski
• Supervisor: Wenying Liu
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of British Columbia, Vancouver (UBC), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/15156-2 - Application of functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for the selective separation of lanthanum from solution resulting from spent catalyst leaching, BP.PD

Abstract

Critical metals are widely used elements that may have problems in their supply. Critical metals are considered strategic elements of technology due to their wide use in industrial processes and materials with better properties. Examples of critical metals are La, V, Ti, Nb, Sc. The trend towards the depletion of ores of this element means that new alternatives are being explored, such as the extraction of rare earth metals from residues such as spent industrial catalysts and industrial residues. Nanohydrometallurgy allows the capture and processing through bonds and complexations of metallic elements from the functional groups present on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles, so this structure is used for the selective separation of metals directly from aqueous solutions, without using organic solvents. This project aims at the application of functionalized magnetic nanoparticles in the selective separation of critical metals, such as lanthanum, contained in spent industrial catalysts and industrial waste. The working solution comes from the leaching of metals. Different nanoparticle syntheses will be evaluated to evaluate their behavior at the time of metal separation. Batch tests will be carried out to verify the ideal parameters for separation, such as pH, time and nanoparticles/solution ratio. Different analytical techniques will be used to analyze the metallic solution and characterize the nanoparticles before and after the tests. (AU)