Methods of recovering rare earth elements
A method of recovering a rare earth element. The method comprises dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound to form a dissolved rare earth element mixture. A rare earth element of the rare earth element magnetic material and the β-diketone compound are reacted to form a β-diketonate chelate complex and the dissolution organic solvent is removed. The β-diketonate chelate complex is removed using a separation organic solvent, and the β-diketonate chelate complex is recovered. Additional methods are also disclosed.
1. A method of recovering a rare earth element, comprising:
dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound to form a dissolved rare earth element mixture;
reacting a rare earth element of the rare earth element magnetic material and the β-diketone compound to form a β-diketonate chelate complex;
removing the dissolution organic solvent from the dissolved rare earth element mixture;
removing the β-diketonate chelate complex from the dissolved rare earth element mixture using a separation organic solvent; and
recovering the β-diketonate chelate complex.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound comprises dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material comprising the rare earth element and a transition metal in the dissolution organic solvent and the β-diketone compound.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound comprises dissolving the rare earth element magnetic material in a non-aqueous solution.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound comprises dissolving the rare earth element magnetic material in the dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound selected from the group consisting of 2,4-pentadione or acetylacetone (AcAc), 1,1,1-trifluoro-2,4-pentadione (TFA), 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentadione (HFA), 1,1,1-trifluoro-5,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexanedione (TFBA), 1,1,1, 2,2,3,3-heptafluoro-7,7-dimethyl-4,6-octanedione (FOD), 3-methyl-2,4-pentadione, or combinations thereof.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound comprises dissolving the rare earth element magnetic material in toluene, acetonitrile, or combinations thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound comprises dissolving a neodymium-iron-boride magnetic material in the dissolution organic solvent and β-diketone compound.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the β-diketonate chelate complex from the dissolved rare earth element mixture using a separation organic solvent comprises continuously extracting the β-diketonate chelate complex with the separation organic solvent.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the β-diketonate chelate complex from the dissolved rare earth element mixture using a separation organic solvent comprises removing the β-diketonate chelate complex using xylene.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the β-diketonate chelate complex from the dissolved rare earth element mixture using a separation organic solvent comprises separating the β-diketonate chelate complex from reaction products not soluble in the separation organic solvent.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recovering the rare earth element from the β-diketonate chelate complex.
11. A method of recovering a rare earth element, comprising:
combining a rare earth element material with a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound to form a rare earth element mixture;
reacting a rare earth element of the rare earth element material with the β-diketone compound to form a rare earth element β-diketonate chelate complex;
removing the dissolution organic solvent from the rare earth element mixture;
separating the rare earth element β-diketonate chelate complex from the rare earth element mixture using a separation organic solvent; and
recovering the rare earth element from the rare earth element β-diketonate chelate complex.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein combining a rare earth element material with a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound to form a rare earth element mixture comprises forming the rare earth element mixture comprising the rare earth element and a transition metal.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein reacting a rare earth element of the rare earth element material with the β-diketone compound to form a rare earth element β-diketonate chelate complex comprises forming the rare earth element β-diketonate chelate complex and a transition metal β-diketonate chelate complex.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein separating the rare earth element β-diketonate chelate complex from the rare earth element mixture comprises separating the rare earth element β-diketonate chelate complex and the transition metal β-diketonate chelate complex.
15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising converting the rare earth element β-diketonate chelate complex to a rare earth element oxide or a rare earth element salt.
16. A method of recovering a rare earth element, comprising:
dissolving a material comprising neodymium in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound to form a rare earth element mixture;
reacting the neodymium with the β-diketone compound to form a neodymium β-diketonate chelate complex;
removing the dissolution organic solvent from the rare earth element mixture;
separating the neodymium β-diketonate chelate complex from the rare earth element mixture using a separation organic solvent; and
recovering the neodymium β-diketonate chelate complex.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein dissolving a material comprising neodymium comprises dissolving a neodymium-iron-boride material in the dissolution organic solvent and β-diketone compound.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein recovering the neodymium β-diketonate chelate complex comprises separating the neodymium β-diketonate chelate complex from a transition metal β-diketonate chelate complex.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein recovering the neodymium β-diketonate chelate complex comprises separating the neodymium β-diketonate chelate complex from an iron β-diketonate chelate complex.
20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising recovering the neodymium.
21. The method of claim 1 , wherein dissolving a rare earth element magnetic material in a dissolution organic solvent and a β-diketone compound comprises dissolving a magnetic material comprising cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium, yttrium, or a combination thereof in the dissolution organic solvent and β-diketone compound.