Author(s):
Nogueira, Miguel ; Bernardo, Maria ; Ventura, Márcia ; Matos, Inês ; Pinto, Filomena ; Lapa, Nuno
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/175256
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/LA%2FP%2F0008%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Programático/UIDP%2F50006%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Base/UIDB%2F50006%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/OE/SFRH%2FBD%2F147601%2F2019/PT;
Subject(s): activated carbons; adsorption; carbon materials; chars; rare earth elements; recovery; Bioengineering; Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous); Process Chemistry and Technology
Description
Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Maria Bernardo thanks FCT/MCTES for funding through program DL 57/2016—Norma transitória. Inês Matos thanks FCT/MCTES for contract CEECIND/004431/2022.
Rare earth elements (REEs), comprising seventeen metallic elements, including lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium, are indispensable for modern technological industries due to their unique properties. However, their supply is critically risky for the European Union, with 95% of global production concentrated in China, Brazil, Vietnam, Russia, India, and Australia. This mini-review examines the adsorption of REEs onto pyrolytic carbon-based materials as a sustainable recovery method from secondary raw materials. The review covers different types of carbon-based adsorbents used in several research works, such as activated carbon, chars, and biochar, and discusses their adsorption mechanisms and influencing factors. Comparative analyses of adsorption capacities highlight the significance of surface area and functionalization in enhancing adsorption efficiency. Despite promising results, the variability in adsorption performance due to experimental conditions and the scarcity of real-world application studies are noticed. This review underscores the need for further research using real e-waste leachates to validate the practical applicability of pyrolytic carbon-based adsorbents for REEs’ recovery, aiming for an economically and environmentally sustainable solution.
