How Cerium and Lanthanum as Coproducts Promote Stable Rare Earth Production and New Alloys
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Critical Materials Institute (CMI), Ames, IA (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Critical Materials Institute (CMI), Ames, IA (United States);
- University of Chile, Santiago (Chile)
- IDC Herzliya (Israel)
- Eck Industries, Manitowoc, WI (United States); Critical Materials Institute (CMI), Ames, IA (United States)
- Borg Warner Turbo Systems, Ashville, NC (United States); Critical Materials Institute (CMI), Ames, IA (United States)
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Critical Materials Institute (CMI), Ames, IA (United States)
- Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Critical Materials Institute (CMI), Ames, IA (United States)
The largest outputs of rare earth mining are the low-value byproducts cerium and lanthanum, which burden rare earth supply chains because they must be separated from more desirable rare earths used in magnet production. Promoting demand for cerium and lanthanum can potentially diversify the economics of rare earth mining and improve supply chain stability for all rare earth elements. A promising avenue for increasing byproduct rare earth element demand is their use in aluminum alloys; an application for cerium and lanthanum offering multiple benefits to manufacturing such as energy reduction and improved throughput. Experimental materials science and economic implications of Al-rare earth element alloys will be discussed. We show that Al–La/Ce alloys have elevated mechanical strength compared to more traditional aluminum alloys, in some formulations can be used without heat treatment, and possess a highly castable eutectic microstructure. This report presents the use of cerium and lanthanum in aluminum alloys as an example of how supply chain focused approaches to technological development can benefit stakeholders at every step in production.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Advanced Manufacturing Office
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725; AC52-07NA27344
- OSTI ID:
- 1883885
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy, Vol. 8, Issue 3; ISSN 2199-3823
- Publisher:
- Springer NatureCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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