Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Advancing towards technology readiness: Continuous-flow electrosorption for thorium separation from rare earth processing by-products

  • Batari Toja Iskandar (Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) ;
  • Aznan Fazli Ismail (Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) ;
  • Eli Syafiqah Aziman (Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) ;
  • Sahrim Ahmad (Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia)
  • Received : 2024.02.22
  • Accepted : 2024.06.15
  • Published : 2024.11.25
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Abstract

This study focuses on the development of a curated separation system aimed at separating thorium ions as part of a recovery plan for managing the thorium radionuclide in the rare earth element (REE) processing industry. As a step towards advancing technology readiness, the separation system employs the electrosorption technique, which involves the migration and storage of thorium ions in the electrical double layers on the porous surface of a carbon-based electrode. Using a prototype electrosorption cell operated at an applied voltage of 1.0 V, the system successfully achieved a thorium ion recovery rate of 84.5 ± 0.29 %, with an impressive electrosorption capacity of 105.26 mg-Th/1 g-carbon. Notably, despite the presence of higher concentrations of REE as competing ions, greater selectivity towards thorium was observed which likely attributable to its larger ionic radius, higher electron affinity, and greater distribution coefficient. These findings highlight the efficacy of the curated separation system and its potential to balance between REE economic significance as well as a protection to the environment.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research is financially supported by DIP-2023-016 and PRGS/1/2023/STG07/UKM/02/1 research grant by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education Respectively. The authors express gratitude to the Nuclear Science Program staff, UKM, for their technical support throughout the research.

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