Rare Earth Elements Recovery and Waste Management of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Ash

Wen, Yinghao; Hu, Lei; Boxleiter, Anthony; Li, Dien; Tang, Yuanzhi

doi:10.1021/acssusresmgt.3c00026

Title: Rare Earth Elements Recovery and Waste Management of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Ash

Journal Article · 29 November 2023 · ACS Sustainable Resource Management

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssusresmgt.3c00026 · OSTI ID:2222828

Wen, Yinghao ^[1]; Hu, Lei ^[1]; Boxleiter, Anthony ^[2]; Li, Dien ^[3];

^[1]

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA (United States)
Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC (United States)

The advancements in high-tech products and pursuit of renewable energy demand a massive and continuously growing supply of rare earth elements (REE). However, REE production from mining is heavily restricted by technoeconomic limitations and global geopolitical tensions. Municipal solid waste incineration ash (MSWIA) has been recently recognized as a potential alternative for REE recovery. This study applies and optimizes a green modular treatment system using organic ligands for effective REE recovery and concentration from MSWIA with minimal generation of secondary wastes. Citrate extracted >80% of total REE at pH 2.0 and ~60% at pH 4.0. A subsequent oxalate precipitation step selectively concentrated >98% of extracted REE by ~7–12 times compared to raw MSWIA. Waste byproducts were upcycled to synthesize zeolites, resulting in an overall solid waste volume reduction of ~80% and heavy metal immobilization efficiency of ~75% with negligible leaching, bringing the dual benefits of REE recovery and waste management. This work serves as a pioneer study in REE recovery from an emerging source and provides system level insights on the practicality of a simple three-step treatment system. Compared to existing literature, this system features a low chemical/energy input and a light environmental footprint.

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Research Organization:: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); Department of Defense SERDP; National Science Foundation (NSF)

Grant/Contract Number:: AR0001394; #WP22-3463; #2327659; ECCS-2025462

OSTI ID:: 2222828

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2282856

Journal Information:: ACS Sustainable Resource Management, Vol. 1, Issue 1; ISSN 2837-1445

Publisher:: ACS PublicationsCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
rare earth elements
municipal solid waste incineration ash
resource recovery
waste upcycling
sustainable chemistry
waste management
anions
leaching
metals
wastes
zeolites

Title: Rare Earth Elements Recovery and Waste Management of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Ash

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