Chemical Challenges and Opportunities in Critical Materials David - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Chemical Challenges and Opportunities in Critical Materials

David K. Shuh

Actinide Chemistry Group, Chemical Sciences Division Director, The Glenn T. Seaborg Center Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, California 94720 USA Email: DKShuh@lbl.gov; Tel. 510.486.6937 ACS CM Senate Briefing 29 November 2011

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011

Challenging Chemistry: Separations and Process

• R a r e e a r t h e l e m e n t

characteristics

• Difficulty of separating

and extracting rare earth elements from ore bodies

• Separating/purifying rare

earths from other rare earth elements

• General knowledge of rare

earth element chemistry compared to other areas within chemistry

• Starting point for utilizing

rare earths and a basis for future innovation

Fe ¡ La ¡ Ce ¡ Pr ¡ Nd ¡ Sm ¡ Eu ¡ Gd ¡ Dy ¡

31871 ¡ 2001 ¡ 1158 ¡ 1045 ¡2062 ¡ 2154 ¡ 2037 ¡ 1619 ¡ 931 ¡

Cambridge ¡Structural ¡Database ¡(June ¡2011) ¡

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011

Critical Materials Uses, Needs, and Opportunities

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011

Chemistry Expertise for Critical Materials: Separations and Process

• Translate actinide (5f) element

chemistry and experience expertise into rare earth (4f) separations, processes, and materials innovations

• New advanced chemistry for

separations and processes Combinatorial Biomimetic

• Model of a novel rare earth complex.

Four 1,2-HOPO building blocks coordinated to a Eu(III) metal center with a ninth cyano unit coordinated.

• K. N. Raymond et al. (LBNL/UC Berkeley)

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011

A Separations Example for Thorium: Similar Approach for Rare Earths and Critical Materials?

• Novel molecule for thorium

separation and sequestration

• Waste prevention
• Biotechnology
• Nuclear energy
• K. N. Raymond et al. (LBNL/UC Berkeley)

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011

Critical Materials Chemistry: Catalysis

• Development of substitutes

from transition metals for platinum-group metal catalysts used in large-scale chemical processes.

• Catalyst discovery based on

first-row transition metals

• Synthetic, mechanistic, and

characterization efforts

• New rare earth catalysts for

bond-cleavage and bond- formation for hydrocarbons

• New diesel exhaust catalysts

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011

Critical Materials Chemistry: Sustainability

• Re-use and recycling

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e – m a n u f a c t u r i n g , r e - m a n u f a c t u r i n g , reclamation, and efficient process chemistry

• Green chemistry and

environmental technologies for materials processing

• Development of new, more

accurate unit value-based lifecycle models to guide i n d u s t r y a n d p o l i c y decision-makers

LCD SCREEN

• Europium
• Yttrium
• Cerium

GLASS AND MIRRORS POLISHED POWDER

• Cerium

UV CUT GLASS

• Cerium

DIESEL FUEL ADDITIVE

• Cerium
• Lanthanum

HYBRID NiMH BATTERY

• Cerium
• Lanthanum

CATALYTIC CONVERTER

• Cerium/Zirconium
• Lanthanum

HYBRID ELECTRIC MOTOR AND GENERATOR

• Neodymium
• Praseodymium
• Dysprosium
• Terbium

25+ ELECTRIC MOTORS THROUGHOUT VEHICLE

• Cerium
• Lanthanum

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011

Summary: Opportunities and Challenges

• New revolutionary applications of

rare earths and Critical Materials f r o m i m p r o v e d c h e m i s t r y knowledge and research

– Examples in separations and process chemistry – Challenges in catalysis – Discover and develop new alternatives and substitutes – Sustainable chemistry

• Support of fundamental and

targeted research to ensure both s c i e n t i f i c a n d e c o n o m i c leadership in Critical Materials

• Imperative to educate and train

the next generation of scientists

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

DKShuh Senate ACS CM Briefing | 29 Nov. 2011