The present disclosure provides Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) technology for selectively sequestering one or more target molecules from chemical mixtures. Also disclosed herein are MIP beads and methods of making and using thereof.

A method to recycling acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge, laterite, or soil to selectively extract rare earth and critical minerals uses a leaching process to selectively dissolves metals from solids, through a series of operating conditions, via redox potential control to separate out rare earth elements (REE) and critical minerals from the AMD sludge, laterite, or soil.

Provided is a method for efficiently producing tungsten from a raw material mixture comprising at least one valuable containing tungsten. The present invention relates to a method for producing tungsten, comprising the steps of subjecting a raw material mixture comprising at least one valuable containing tungsten to electrolysis using an organic electrolytic solution to dissolve tungsten in the electrolytic solution; and calcining the electrolytic solution containing dissolved tungsten at a temperature of less than 800 C. to obtain tungsten.

Provided are an electrokinetic device and method for in-situ leaching of uranium. The electrokinetic device for in-situ leaching of uranium includes an injection well, a pumping well, a positive electrode, a negative electrode, leaching solution, and a direct current power supply. Uranium ore is provided between the injection well and the pumping well, the negative electrode is arranged in the injection well, and the positive electrode is arranged in the pumping well. The leaching solution is injected from the injection well, flows through the uranium ore, and then is pumped from the pumping well for uranium extraction. The direct current power supply is respectively connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and is configured to apply direct current between the positive electrode and the negative electrode to promote the pooling of uranium-carrying ions towards the pumping well.

Lead is recycled from lead paste of lead acid batteries in a process that employs alkaline desulfurization followed by formation of plumbite that is then electrolytically converted to pure lead. Remaining insoluble lead dioxide is removed from the lead plumbite solution and reduced to produce lead oxide that can be fed back to the recovery system. Sulfate is recovered as sodium sulfate, while the so produced lead oxide can be added to lead paste for recovery.

Gold and silver are recovered selectively such that gold and silver are separated from non-silver and non-gold material within the scrap. Gold and silver are recovered from scrap material using mixtures of acids, in some instances. The mixture comprises nitric acid and at least one supplemental acid, such as sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid. The amount of nitric acid within the mixture are relatively small compared to the amount of sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid within the mixture. The recovery of gold and silver using the acid mixtures are enhanced by transporting an electric current between an electrode and the gold and silver of the scrap material. Acid mixtures are used to recover silver from particular types of scrap materials, such as scrap material comprising silver metal and cadmium oxide and scrap material comprising silver metal and tungsten metal.

A hydro-metallurgical method 80 for the removal of uranium, thorium, radium, lead, bismuth and polonium and/or other radionuclides from a radioactive copper concentrate to produce an upgraded copper concentrate having lowered emission levels. The method comprises the step of: subjecting the copper concentrate to an acidic leaching process (NONOX leach) 120 using a sulfate and chloride containing lixiviant under electrochemically controlled conditions, to allow at least partial removal of one or more of the radionuclides to produce the lowered emission upgraded copper concentrate, wherein the leaching process is conducted at elevated temperature and under pressure to suppress boiling in the leaching process.

A method and a device for preparing a trivalent chromium salt by electrochemical oxidation of ferrochrome in an acidic system are provided. The method includes: putting ferrochrome as an anode and placing the anode into an acidic electrolyte together with a cathode, and then turning on a power supply for electrolysis reaction, until an electrolysis completion solution containing the trivalent chromium salt and a trivalent iron salt is directly prepared. Compared with the prior art, the one-step electrochemical synthesis of the trivalent chromium salt solution can be achieved without a hexavalent chromium salt stage, avoiding the generation of chromium-containing waste residue, shortening the process flow and significantly improving the production efficiency of the trivalent chromium salt; furthermore, the reaction can be carried out at room temperature and normal pressure without the use of fine chromium iron powders and a high-concentration acidic electrolyte.

A process to recover nickel, cobalt and copper by co-processing copper-containing sulphide concentrate feed containing one or more of arsenic, antimony, and bismuth, and laterite ore feed containing nickel and cobalt by pressure oxidative leaching. The sulphide concentrate and oxygen are controlled to produce sulphuric acid to leach nickel, cobalt, copper and acid soluble impurities into a liquid phase of an acidic leach slurry, to precipitate iron compounds and a majority of the arsenic, antimony and bismuth as solids, and to produce heat to heat the incoming feeds to a temperature above 230 C. Reacted slurry is withdrawn, solids are separated, and the PLS solution contains the nickel, cobalt, copper and acid soluble impurities. A first solution purification stage on the PLS neutralizes free acid, precipitates one or more of iron, aluminum, chromium and silicon, and, separates as solids, the precipitated impurities and other solids from a first purified solution. Copper is separated from the first purified solution with a solvent extraction step to produce a raffinate solution reduced in copper and a copper loaded organic phase. The organic phase is stripped and copper is recovered with electrowinning. A second solution purification stage is conducted on the raffinate by one or both of neutralizing free acid and precipitating one or more of iron, aluminum, chromium and silicon, followed by separating as solids, the precipitated impurities and other solids from a second purified solution. Nickel and cobalt are recovered as mixed hydroxides or mixed sulphides from the second purified solution.

The present invention relates to an integrated electrochemical lithium extraction process to directly produce lithium hydroxide from geothermal brine. The process integrates electrochemical silica removal, selective uptake and release of lithium using an intercalation material, and electro-driven generation of hydroxy (OH.sup.) ions.