University of Nevada

Reactive Innovations, LLC

Janelle Droessler

Kenneth R Czerwinski

David W Hatchett

Michael C Kimble

Kyle G Boutin

Karen D Jayne

John Kinyanjui

A process for recovering a rare earth element. The process includes adding water and a nonaqueous acid to an ionic liquid, and dissolving an oxide of a first rare earth element directly into the ionic liquid to form an ionic solution comprising at least about 0.1 weight percent water, the acid and an ion of the first rare earth element. The process further includes applying a potential to the ionic solution to deposit the first rare earth element onto an electrode as a metal.

Processes for recovering rare earth elements

Uranic and transuranic metals and metal oxides are first dissolved in ozone compositions. The resulting solution in ozone can be further dissolved in ionic liquids to form a second solution. The metals in the second solution are then electrochemically deposited from the second solutions as room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), tri-methyl-n-butyl ammonium n-bis(trifluoromethansulfonylimide) [MeNBu][TFSI] providing an alternative non-aqueous system for the extraction and reclamation of actinides from reprocessed fuel materials. Deposition of U metal is achieved using TFSI complexes of U(III) and U(IV) containing the anion common to the RTIL. TFSI complexes of uranium were produced to ensure solubility of the species in the ionic liquid. The methods provide a first measure of the thermodynamic properties of U metal deposition using Uranium complexes with different oxidation states from RTIL solution at room temperature.

Room temperature electrodeposition of actinides from ionic solutions

Growing community of inventors

Las Vegas, NV, United States of America

Janelle Droessler