Ut-battelle, Inc.

Derek Brigham

David W DePaoli

Laetitia H Delmau

A method for extracting rare earth metals (e.g., lanthanides and/or actinides) from aqueous solution, the method comprising: (i) acidifying an aqueous solution containing said rare earth metals with sulfuric acid to result in an acidified aqueous solution containing 1-12 M concentration of sulfuric acid; and (ii) contacting the acidified aqueous solution with an aqueous-insoluble hydrophobic solution comprising a rare earth extractant molecule dissolved in an aqueous-insoluble hydrophobic solvent to result in extraction of one or more of the rare earth metals into the aqueous hydrophobic solution, wherein the rare earth extractant molecule has the following structure: wherein R, R, R, and Rare independently selected from hydrocarbon groups containing 1-20 carbon atoms, provided that the total carbon atoms in R, R, R, and Ris at least 12; and Rand Rare independently selected from hydrogen atom and hydrocarbon groups containing 1-3 carbon atoms.

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Carlsbad, NM, United States of America

Derek Brigham