Author(s):
Sousa, Joana ; Tavares, Daniela S. ; Pinto, João ; Henriques, Bruno ; Rocha, João ; Trindade, Tito ; Lapa, Nuno ; Pereira, Eduarda
Date: 2025
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/185230
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Project/scholarship:
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%2F50011%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%2F50011%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/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/POR_CENTRO/2020.05323.BD/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/CEEC IND 2018/CEECIND%2F03511%2F2018%2FCP1559%2FCT0032/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso para Atribuição do Estatuto e Financiamento de Laboratórios Associados (LA)/LA%2FP%2F0008%2F2020/PT;
Subject(s): Rare earth elements; Neodymium; Ferrite; Magnets; Sorption; Response surface methodology
Description
Funding Information: This work received financial support from PT national funds (FCT/MCTES, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) through the CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020), and REQUIMTE (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020). João Pinto thanks FCT/MCTES (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) for his PhD grant (ref. doi:10.54499/2020.05323.BD). Bruno Henriques thanks FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) for funding through the Scientific Employment (Ref. 10.54499/CEECIND/03511/2018/CP1559/CT0032). Nuno Lapa thanks Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for funding LAQV-REQUIMTE (LA/P/0008/2020 DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0008/2020, UIDP/50006/2020 DOI 10.54499/UIDP/50006/2020 and UIDB/50006/2020 DOI 10.54499/UIDB/50006/2020) through national funds.
This study explores the use of manganese ferrite nanoparticles (MnFe2O4) for the removal and recovery of neodymium (Nd) from aqueous solutions, focusing on their potential application in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. Neodymium, a critical element for the high-technology and energy industries, is increasingly present in aquatic environments due to its widespread use in devices such as computers, electric vehicles, and wind turbines. Through a series of kinetic, equilibrium, and desorption tests, the study optimized key operational parameters using Response Surface Methodology. Equilibrium analyses revealed that the Nd removal at equilibrium (qe) reached 8 mg/g, while the maximum sorption capacity (qm) was determined to be 9.2 mg/g. The results demonstrated a high removal efficiency (up to 90 %) under optimal conditions, which included a nanoparticle dose of 1000 mg/L, an initial neodymium concentration of 20 μmol/L, pH 6, and no salinity. The material showed great potential for neodymium recovery from synthetic magnet solutions, with removal rates exceeding 70 %. Desorption tests confirmed complete recyclability of the sorbent. These findings highlight manganese ferrite nanoparticles as a promising and sustainable approach for neodymium recovery.
