Compost helps extract REEs from e-waste - penn_state
“Waste products like corncobs, wood pulp, cotton and tomato peels often end up in landfills or in compost,” Amir Sheikhi, assistant professor of chemical engineering, said in a media statement. “We wanted to transform these waste products into micro or nanoscale particles capable of extracting rare earth elements from electronic waste.”According to Sheikhi, the challenge with the technique he and his colleagues are proposing lies in efficiently separating the metals from refuse.
“Using the organic materials as a platform, we created highly functional micro- and nanoparticles that can attach to metals like neodymium and separate them from the fluid that surrounds them,” Sheikhi said. “Via electrostatic interactions, the negatively-charged micro- and nano-scale materials bind to positively-charged neodymium ions, separating them.”
To prepare the experiment, the researcher and his team ground up tomato peel and corncob and cut wood pulp and cotton paper into small, thin pieces and soaked them in water. Then, they chemically reacted these materials in a controlled fashion to disintegrate them into three distinct fractions of functional materials: microproducts, nanoparticles and solubilized biopolymers.
The goal now is to extend this separation mechanism into real-world scenarios and partner with interested industries to further test the process. “We also hope to tune the selectivity of the materials toward other rare earth elements and precious metals, like gold and silver, to be able to separate those from waste products as well,” Sheikhi said.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
No. 80 overall prospect Carey Booth commits to Penn State Basketball
Read more »
Disabled train in Secaucus causes major delays to rail service at New York Penn StationNJ Transit says a disabled train near Secaucus caused up 90-minute delays to rail service in and out of Penn Station in New York.
Read more »
New Thanksgiving college hoops fest to debut at PalestraPenn will host the first series of doubleheaders in the Cathedral Classic, beginning Nov. 25-27.
Read more »
In a first, scientists engineered a material that can 'think' and 'sense'Researchers at the US Air Force and Penn State University, have harnessed mechanical information processing and integrated it into engineered materials that can 'think.'
Read more »
The Union sign a Delran-born midfielder four years after he left the team’s academyJeremy Rafanello, a 22-year-old attacking midfielder, was a notable prospect in the Union’s youth academy as a teenager, but initially went to Penn State instead of turning pro.
Read more »
Texas abortion funds sue to restart paying for out-of-state proceduresAUSTIN – Texas abortion funds filed a lawsuit Tuesday that seeks protections to resume financing people’s out-of-state travel for the procedure. Most funds,...
Read more »