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Xia D, Lee C, Charpentier NM, Deng Y, Yan Q, Gabriel JCP. Drivers and Pathways for the Recovery of Critical Metals from Waste-Printed Circuit Boards. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2309635. [PMID: 38837685 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202309635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
The ever-increasing importance of critical metals (CMs) in modern society underscores their resource security and circularity. Waste-printed circuit boards (WPCBs) are particularly attractive reservoirs of CMs due to their gamut CM embedding and ubiquitous presence. However, the recovery of most CMs is out of reach from current metal-centric recycling industries, resulting in a flood loss of refined CMs. Here, 41 types of such spent CMs are identified. To deliver a higher level of CM sustainability, this work provides an insightful overview of paradigm-shifting pathways for CM recovery from WPCBs that have been developed in recent years. As a crucial starting entropy-decreasing step, various strategies of metal enrichment are compared, and the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperspectral sensing is highlighted. Then, tailored metal recycling schemes are presented for the platinum group, rare earth, and refractory metals, with emphasis on greener metallurgical methods contributing to transforming CMs into marketable products. In addition, due to the vital nexus of CMs between the environment and energy sectors, the upcycling of CMs into electro-/photo-chemical catalysts for green fuel synthesis is proposed to extend the recycling chain. Finally, the challenges and outlook on this all-round upgrading of WPCB recycling are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Xia
- SCARCE Laboratory, Energy Research Institute @ NTU, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Carmen Lee
- SCARCE Laboratory, Energy Research Institute @ NTU, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Nicolas M Charpentier
- SCARCE Laboratory, Energy Research Institute @ NTU, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, NIMBE, LICSEN, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91191, France
| | - Yuemin Deng
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, NIMBE, LICSEN, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91191, France
- Ecologic France, 15 Avenue du Centre, Guyancour, 78280, France
| | - Qingyu Yan
- SCARCE Laboratory, Energy Research Institute @ NTU, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Jean-Christophe P Gabriel
- SCARCE Laboratory, Energy Research Institute @ NTU, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, NIMBE, LICSEN, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91191, France
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Martin A, Pauls AM, Chang B, Boyce E, Thuo M. Photo-Activated Growth and Metastable Phase Transition in Metallic Solid Solutions. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2309865. [PMID: 38042991 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202309865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Laser processing in metals is versatile yet limited by its reliance on phase transformation through heating rather than electronic excitation due to their low absorptivity, attributing from highly ordered structures. Metastable states (i.e., surfaces, glasses, undercooled liquids), however, present a unique platform, both energetically and structurally to enable energy landscape tuning through selective stimuli. Herein, this ansatz is demonstrated by exploiting thin passivating oxides to stabilize an undercooled state, followed by photo-perturbation of the near surface order to induce convective Marangoni flows, edge-coalescence and phase transition into a larger metastable solid bearing asymmetric composition between the near surface and core of the formed structure. The self-terminating nature of the process creates a perfectly contained system which can maintain a high relaxation energy barrier hence deep metastable states for extended periods of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Martin
- North Carolina State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
- Iowa State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
| | - Alana M Pauls
- North Carolina State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
- Iowa State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
| | - Boyce Chang
- Iowa State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
| | - Eva Boyce
- North Carolina State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Martin Thuo
- North Carolina State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
- Iowa State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
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Wang T, Zhu L, Mei L, Kanda H. Extraction and Separation of Natural Products from Microalgae and Other Natural Sources Using Liquefied Dimethyl Ether, a Green Solvent: A Review. Foods 2024; 13:352. [PMID: 38275719 PMCID: PMC10815339 DOI: 10.3390/foods13020352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Microalgae are a sustainable source for the production of biofuels and bioactive compounds. This review discusses significant research on innovative extraction techniques using dimethyl ether (DME) as a green subcritical fluid. DME, which is characterized by its low boiling point and safety as an organic solvent, exhibits remarkable properties that enable high extraction rates of various active compounds, including lipids and bioactive compounds, from high-water-content microalgae without the need for drying. In this review, the superiority of liquefied DME extraction technology for microalgae over conventional methods is discussed in detail. In addition, we elucidate the extraction mechanism of this technology and address its safety for human health and the environment. This review also covers aspects related to extraction equipment, various applications of different extraction processes, and the estimation and trend analysis of the Hansen solubility parameters. In addition, we anticipate a promising trajectory for the expansion of this technology for the extraction of various resources.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hideki Kanda
- Department of Chemical Systems Engineering, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
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Wilson AD, Foo ZH, Jayasinghe AS, Stetson C, Lee H, Rollins HW, Deshmukh A, Lienhard JH. Modeling Henry's law and phase separations of water-NaCl-organic mixtures with solvation and ion-pairing. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:749-759. [PMID: 37800279 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02003g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Empirical measurements of solution vapor pressure of ternary acetonitrile (MeCN) H2O-NaCl-MeCN mixtures were recorded, with NaCl concentrations ranging from zero to the saturation limit, and MeCN concentrations ranging from zero to an absolute mole fraction of 0.64. After accounting for speciation, the variability of the Henry's law coefficient at vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of MeCN ternary mixtures decreased from 107% to 5.1%. Solute speciation was modeled using a mass action solution model that incorporates solute solvation and ion-pairing phenomena. Two empirically determined equilibrium constants corresponding to solute dissociation and ion pairing were utilized for each solute. When speciation effects were considered, the solid-liquid equilibrium of H2O-NaCl-MeCN mixtures appear to be governed by a simple saturation equilibrium constant that is consistent with the binary H2O-NaCl saturation coefficient. Further, our results indicate that the precipitation of NaCl in the MeCN ternary mixtures was not governed by changes in the dielectric constant. Our model indicates that the compositions of the salt-induced liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) boundary of the H2O-NaCl-MeCN mixture correspond to the binary plateau activity of MeCN, a range of concentrations over which the activity remains largely invariant in the binary water-MeCN system. Broader comparisons with other ternary miscible organic solvent (MOS) mixtures suggest that salt-induced liquid-liquid equilibrium exists if: (1) the solution displays a positive deviation from the ideal limits governed by Raoult's law; and (2) the minimum of the mixing free energy profile for the binary water-MOS system is organic-rich. This work is one of the first applications of speciation-based solution models to a ternary system, and the first that includes an organic solute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron D Wilson
- Chemical Separations Group, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-2208, USA.
| | - Zi Hao Foo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA
| | - Ashini S Jayasinghe
- Analytical Chemistry Group, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-2208, USA
| | - Caleb Stetson
- Chemical Separations Group, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-2208, USA.
| | - Hyeonseok Lee
- Chemical Separations Group, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-2208, USA.
| | - Harry W Rollins
- Chemical Separations Group, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-2208, USA.
| | - Akshay Deshmukh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA
| | - John H Lienhard
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA
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Solvent-driven aqueous separations for hypersaline brine concentration and resource recovery. TRENDS IN CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trechm.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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