Version 1
: Received: 3 July 2024 / Approved: 4 July 2024 / Online: 4 July 2024 (09:00:49 CEST)
How to cite:
Jang, G. G.; Thompson, J. A.; Meyer, P. A.; Zhang, P.; Shen, Z.; Tsouris, C. Technoeconomic Assessment of Phosphoric Acid and Rare-Earths Recovery from Phosphoric Acid Sludge. Preprints2024, 2024070395. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0395.v1
Jang, G. G.; Thompson, J. A.; Meyer, P. A.; Zhang, P.; Shen, Z.; Tsouris, C. Technoeconomic Assessment of Phosphoric Acid and Rare-Earths Recovery from Phosphoric Acid Sludge. Preprints 2024, 2024070395. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0395.v1
Jang, G. G.; Thompson, J. A.; Meyer, P. A.; Zhang, P.; Shen, Z.; Tsouris, C. Technoeconomic Assessment of Phosphoric Acid and Rare-Earths Recovery from Phosphoric Acid Sludge. Preprints2024, 2024070395. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0395.v1
APA Style
Jang, G. G., Thompson, J. A., Meyer, P. A., Zhang, P., Shen, Z., & Tsouris, C. (2024). Technoeconomic Assessment of Phosphoric Acid and Rare-Earths Recovery from Phosphoric Acid Sludge. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0395.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Jang, G. G., Ziheng Shen and Costas Tsouris. 2024 "Technoeconomic Assessment of Phosphoric Acid and Rare-Earths Recovery from Phosphoric Acid Sludge" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0395.v1
Abstract
A decanter centrifuge has been employed to successfully separated phosphoric acid and rare-earth-element (REE)-containing particles from phosphoric acid sludge with concentrations ranging from 1,000 to 2,200 ppm REEs. Operating efficiently with up to 35 wt.% solids, the centrifuge was demonstrated to achieve approximately 95% phosphoric acid recovery and 90% REEs recovery in a single pass, eliminating the need for additional processing steps. This breakthrough supports a proposed REEs oxide recovery process integrating phosphoric acid (PA), elemental phosphorus (P4), and REEs into two potential pathways: PA-REO and PA-P4-REO. These processes aim to reintroduce recovered phosphoric acid into the main product to significantly increase output and revenue. Post-separation, phosphorus-rich particles can be converted to P4, while REEs-containing solids undergo further treatment including acid leaching, extraction/stripping, precipitation, and calcination to produce a marketable rare-earth oxide (REO) material. Techno-economic analysis indicates promising profitability, with the PA-REO process showing a delta net present value (∆NPV) of $441.8 million and an expected return within a year of construction, while the PA-P4-REO process yields a ∆NPV of $178.7 million over a 12-year return period. Both pathways offer robust financial prospects and demonstrate the feasibility of commercial-scale REEs recovery from phosphoric acid sludge.
Keywords
process intensification; rare earths element recovery; decanter centrifuge; solid-liquid separation; phosphoric-acid sludge; technoeconomic analysis
Subject
Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
