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Title: Rare earth elements and critical metal content of extracted landfilled material and potential recovery opportunities

Abstract

Highlights: • Samples from multiple core drills were obtained from 4× landfill sites in the UK. • Each sample analysed for rare earth elements, critical metals and valuable metals. • Two stage microwave digestion method ensuring high yield. • High quantities of copper and aluminium were observed in the soil layers of landfill. • Across 4× landfills aluminium and copper present has a value of around $$400 million. - Abstract: Rare earth elements (REEs), Platinum group metals (PGMs) and other critical metals currently attract significant interest due to the high risks of supply shortage and substantial impact on the economy. Their uses in many applications have made them present in municipal solid waste (MSW) and in commercial and industrial waste (C&I), since several industrial processes produce by-products with high content of these metals. With over 4000 landfills in the UK alone, the aim of this study was to assess the existence of these critical metals within landfills. Samples collected from four closed landfills in UK were subjected to a two-step acid digestion to extract 27 metals of interest. Concentrations across the four landfill sites were 58 ± 6 mg kg{sup −1} for REEs comprising 44 ± 8 mg kg{sup −1}more » for light REEs, 11 ± 2 mg kg{sup −1} for heavy REEs and 3 ± 1 mg kg{sup −1} for Scandium (Sc) and 3 ± 1.0 mg kg{sup −1} of PGMs. Compared to the typical concentration in ores, these concentrations are too low to achieve a commercially viable extraction. However, content of other highly valuable metals (Al and Cu) was found in concentrations equating to a combined value across the four landfills of around $$400 million, which increases the economic viability of landfill mining. Presence of critical metals will mainly depend on the type of waste that was buried but the recovery of these metals through landfill mining is possible and is economically feasible only if additional materials (plastics, paper, metallic items and other) are also recovered for reprocessing.« less

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22472534
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Waste Management
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 42; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2015 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0956-053X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; BY-PRODUCTS; COPPER; DIGESTION; EXTRACTION; INDUSTRIAL WASTES; MATERIALS RECOVERY; MICROWAVE HEATING; MUNICIPAL WASTES; PLASTICS; PLATINUM; RARE EARTHS; REPROCESSING; SANITARY LANDFILLS; SHORTAGES; SOILS; SOLID WASTES

Citation Formats

Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Silvia C., Coulon, Frédéric, Jiang, Ying, and Wagland, Stuart. Rare earth elements and critical metal content of extracted landfilled material and potential recovery opportunities. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/J.WASMAN.2015.04.024.
Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Silvia C., Coulon, Frédéric, Jiang, Ying, & Wagland, Stuart. Rare earth elements and critical metal content of extracted landfilled material and potential recovery opportunities. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.WASMAN.2015.04.024
Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Silvia C., Coulon, Frédéric, Jiang, Ying, and Wagland, Stuart. 2015. "Rare earth elements and critical metal content of extracted landfilled material and potential recovery opportunities". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.WASMAN.2015.04.024.
@article{osti_22472534,
title = {Rare earth elements and critical metal content of extracted landfilled material and potential recovery opportunities},
author = {Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Silvia C. and Coulon, Frédéric and Jiang, Ying and Wagland, Stuart},
abstractNote = {Highlights: • Samples from multiple core drills were obtained from 4× landfill sites in the UK. • Each sample analysed for rare earth elements, critical metals and valuable metals. • Two stage microwave digestion method ensuring high yield. • High quantities of copper and aluminium were observed in the soil layers of landfill. • Across 4× landfills aluminium and copper present has a value of around $400 million. - Abstract: Rare earth elements (REEs), Platinum group metals (PGMs) and other critical metals currently attract significant interest due to the high risks of supply shortage and substantial impact on the economy. Their uses in many applications have made them present in municipal solid waste (MSW) and in commercial and industrial waste (C&I), since several industrial processes produce by-products with high content of these metals. With over 4000 landfills in the UK alone, the aim of this study was to assess the existence of these critical metals within landfills. Samples collected from four closed landfills in UK were subjected to a two-step acid digestion to extract 27 metals of interest. Concentrations across the four landfill sites were 58 ± 6 mg kg{sup −1} for REEs comprising 44 ± 8 mg kg{sup −1} for light REEs, 11 ± 2 mg kg{sup −1} for heavy REEs and 3 ± 1 mg kg{sup −1} for Scandium (Sc) and 3 ± 1.0 mg kg{sup −1} of PGMs. Compared to the typical concentration in ores, these concentrations are too low to achieve a commercially viable extraction. However, content of other highly valuable metals (Al and Cu) was found in concentrations equating to a combined value across the four landfills of around $400 million, which increases the economic viability of landfill mining. Presence of critical metals will mainly depend on the type of waste that was buried but the recovery of these metals through landfill mining is possible and is economically feasible only if additional materials (plastics, paper, metallic items and other) are also recovered for reprocessing.},
doi = {10.1016/J.WASMAN.2015.04.024},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22472534}, journal = {Waste Management},
issn = {0956-053X},
number = ,
volume = 42,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}