Simultaneous recovery and separation of rare earth elements in ferromanganese nodules by using

Fujimoto, Jun*; Tanaka, Kazuya; Watanabe, Naoko*; Takahashi, Yoshio*

Hydrometallurgy, 166, p.80 - 86, 2016/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2016.09.005

We examined recovery of REEs in Fe-Mn nodules by using (Fe-reducing bacterium). In this method, Fe-Mn nodule decomposition and REE recovery were achieved simultaneously in a single solution system. Fe-Mn nodules were reductively decomposed in NaCl solution under anaerobic conditions with daily addition of sodium lactate as an electron donor. During the decomposition of Fe-Mn nodule, REEs released from the Fe-Mn nodule were adsorbed on bacterial cells. Of the conditions studied here, the best REE adsorption rates were obtained with 0.5M NaCl solution at pH7 with daily addition of 1 mmol sodium lactate.