source:psu.eduUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — What do corncobs and tomato peels have to do with electronics? They both can be used to salvage valuable rare earth elements, like neodymium, from electronic waste. Penn State researchers used micro- and nanoparticles created from the organic materials to capture rare earth elements from aqueous solutions.Their findings, available online now, will also be published in the November issue of Chemical Engineering Journal. “Waste products like corncobs, wood pulp, cotton and tomato peels often end up in landfills or in compost,” said corresponding au...
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source:sciencedailyRare earth metals, when linked, can act as a conduit for energy flow, and show promise for the development of novel materials.Scientists have connected two soft crystals and observed energy transfer between them -- a finding that could lead to the development of sophisticated, responsive materials. The study, by scientists at Hokkaido University in Japan, was published in the journal Nature Communications.Soft crystals are flexible molecular solids with highly ordered structures. When they are subjected to external stimuli, such as vapour or rubbing, their molecular structur...
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source:physicsworldI was recently in Newcastle to attend PEMD2022 – the 11th international conference on power electronics, machines and drives. What struck me was not only the huge performance improvements that have been happening in electric motors and generators but just how far we still have to go to make transport fully carbon-free.Global sales of electric cars (including fully battery powered, fuel cell and plug-in hybrids) doubled in 2021 to an all-time high of 6.6 million. They now account for 5–6% of vehicle sales, with more being sold each week than in the whole of 2012, according to...
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source:resource-recyclingChemical engineers have successfully scaled up a method for recycling rare earth elements using membrane solvent extraction.Previous work done at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory with Momentum Technologies piloted an industrial-scale process for recycling rare earth elements (REEs) from e-scrap magnets.Now, the technique has been scaled up to achieve high-purity separations, and researcher Ramesh Bhave said the system “is modular and scalable with a small footprint and minimal waste” in a Oak Ridge National Laboratory press release.Bhave previously worked on other rar...
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